[Killietalk] Fw: Nativefish Conservancy north american killies

["R. Brice" <Tarmack at clarityconnect_com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: lepomis_2000 
To: Nativefishconservancy at yahoogroups_com 
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 10:51 PM
Subject: Nativefish Conservancy north american killies


The North American Killies
Robert Rice
Battered and abused, unknown and unloved. Sounds like a movie of the 
week doesn't it? Well in fact it describes our North American 
Killies. North American Killies? I didn't know we had any you may 
say. You are not alone in thinking that, and nothing could be farther 
from the truth! We have an excellent variety of Killies on this 
continent, brackish and freshwater, they possess a multitude of 
dramatic sizes, shapes and colors and are a hit oversees. Here sadly 
they are a flop relegated to use as an occasional bait minnow!
C'mon folks we can do SO much better than that! While we talk about 
the rain forest and other ecological crisis we let our ignorance of 
local flora and fauna and thus our local Killies go unchallenged. 
These poor guys lie waiting for SOMEONE, anyone to notice them. Why 
not you ! If tomorrow your local newspaper ran a story saying XYZ 
Killi was now extinct. Would you be surprised ? Would you know what 
they were talking about ? Would you be ashamed ? Maybe we all should 
be at least a little !
For those of you unfamiliar with our native Killies they are a broad 
family of small (under six inches) minnow like fishes. With a large 
degree of color variation and temperaments with in the species. 
Almost all of them however are suitable aquarium specimens. They have 
several characteristics that make them something your average 
Aquarist should look into. First and foremost they are tough as 
nails. Their tolerances to heat cold, poor water conditions and 
jumping on the floor are legendary. I've had individuals who jumped 
from the tank and have been unnoticed for hours when I finally find 
the dry, dusty, pitiful looking victim he flip just a bit in my hand. 
So back in the tank he went and by the end of the day was back to 
normal ! Second they are colorful, no not a neon tetra type of 
colorful, but they are colorful, as colorful as a great many 
tropical's out there and a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to keep. 
Finally they are very interesting behaviorally speaking. Your average 
Aquarist has an excellent chance at successfully spawning most 
Killies. Sadly so little is known about the triggers to spawning that 
well documented breeding data is not generally available. On the 
positive side when you discover how to breed these gems the data 
would be a real bonus to the University or Department of Natural 
Resources folks out there. Who by the way are finding it is the 
Killies not the Gambusia family that are the real mosquito fish. A 
Killi will eat 5-10 times more mosquitoes than a Gambusia. They are 
truly mosquito munching machines ! With all that going for them they 
still have been virtually ignored by Sportsmen, Naturalist, and most 
Aquarist. Only a few of us Nuts out here keeping the faith and the 
Killies!
That's been the hurdle our native fishes have had to conquer ! They 
don't lack in durability , they don't lack in looks , they certainly 
don't lack in interesting behaviors. What they lack in is advocates ! 
Very few people care enough about them to speak up for them. That is 
their downfall. Book after book contains no relevant breeding or 
rearing information. They all say the dreaded, see species 
description. Why is that ? Is it possible that all Killies, Sunfish , 
Darters and Shiners are alike ? Needing the same water , conditions, 
food, and temperature requirements? Is it possible that the entire 
continent is inhabited by only a single species of Killi, Darter 
Sunfish etc.? Of course not . It's just there is not enough 
information available. 
There is great diversity out there and for the Aquarist there is 
great opportunity to work with species of which little or nothing is 
known. Imagine you could be first one to document breeding conditions 
of a seldom studied Killi and you would not even have to fly to 
Africa. You could begin to document the range of a species that has 
been passed over in the past as only a unnamed Killi ! It's not SCI 
FI it's reality! All it takes is for folks all across the continent 
to get busy investing their time and resources into studying the 
world around them. You cou make a great difference, without 
significantly changing your hobby. Keep doing what your doing just 
change subjects a bit. It matters it really does !
OK, OK, you say, you've convinced me I'll try a few Killies now where 
do I start? First check out your local library and see if you can 
Find Peterson's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes by Brooks M. Burr 
and Larry Page. This resource book will give you a real good idea of 
what Killies are available locally. You should also check out and see 
if any people in your area are involved in keeping native Killies. 
Check with your' local Fish club or find out if there is a local 
Chapter of NANFA (North American Native Fish Association) or the AKA 
(American Killifish Association) both clubs are active across the 
country in keeping and rearing Native Killies and are great places to 
start (see side bar).
So what Killies do I recommend you ask . I recommend a ton of them 
but for brevity's sake and to help the cause I'll cut my list down to 
five . Based on overall beauty, durability , availability and authors 
bias. Here's my top five in NO particular order.
The Plains Killifish (Fundulus zebrinus) 
This charming fellow looks like an escaped convict with his vertical 
bars and golden backdrop. In the tank he is very hardy and I have had 
them spawn in both the pond and the tank. He takes to food like he 
takes to life, with hardy abandon. One of the finer specimens of a 
fish you can keep. It occurs in the midwest. Sporadically from 
Colorado to Texas. 
Lined Topminnow (Fundulus linnelatus) 
Hard to find but easy to love this guy is cool. The male takes on 
horizontal striping on a light gray background while the female takes 
on the vertical stripes. Which makes them a striking pair to say the 
least. They are as hardy as you can believe and make an excellent 
species for study or home enjoyment. 
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) 
The Classic North American Killi . Large, Colorful, exceedingly 
tolerant of poor conditions and a bit on the mean side. Readily 
available in the pet trade or through fish clubs. 
Bluefin Killie (Lucania goodei) 
Probably the most well known of the American Killies this small Killi 
is an excellent pond or aquarium species . The male is strikingly 
colorful with fins of blue and red. It's small size and excellent 
temperament make it suitable for small tanks and jars. Occurs in 
southern regions but is available commonly in the pet trade or 
through fish clubs. 
Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus euryzonus) 
An excellent addition to any community tank. This small colorful 
Killi has a shy temperament and an unusual habit of living almost 
exclusively in the top three inches of a tank. Very common across the 
midwest and south. Very easy to collect my five year old daughter has 
caught them on many occasions. 



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