Re: [Killietalk] FW: SOS to killietalk can not find your Killifish discussion boards

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

Hey Margaret!

A number of us have been confused and a bit threatened when first venturing into the AKA web site. In a little time it can be of great use to you.

If you are an AKA member, you should already have a user name. Check with the site master - Barry Cooper. If you aren't an AKA member, that's ok, but you will have to register on the site.

Once that is done and you have checked in, click on forums and lists. AKA forums will come up. Click on that, browse a bit and ask away. :)

Fundulopanchax amieti get pretty big and robust. Others will add detail, but you might want to give them space, lots of food, frequent partial water changes, a close fitting cover and several hiding places, usually for the female.

They are semi-annuals and can be spawned several ways. You can spawn them in a "natural set-up" (which has been talked about quite a bit here lately) and skim fry from the surface weeds. Or you can put them in separate 5-gallon tanks and using them briefly over spawning mops or even peat moss. Their eggs can be water incubated or dried until the peat is tacky and stored in peat for a month or so (temperature, humidity and sunspots pending). You can also try putting them on a 10-gallon with mops and some large inert rocks for her to hide in and pick the eggs every day or three after work. Other accommodations are possible too.

If you like graveled tanks, they will spawn there. Either opt for the "natural" set-up or yank them after a week or two. I found that is the one time I will use an under gravel filter and gravel about the size of your little fingernail. Many of the eggs will get pulled down into the gravel and the oxygenated water will help with their development. Usually only live food is fed in that circumstance. If you want to collect large numbers of eggs, don't use gravel.

In a number of my tanks I leave a black worm jar (with a day's portion) so that the residents can browse on them rather than on eggs or fry. In the case of the bigger killies (which the amieti will become) if you have one of those 1/2 gallon bowls (maybe 5"/ 12.5 cm high by 10"/25 cm wide) that will work for the worms.

It is useful keeping the worms in the feeding container as opposed to the spawning media. ;) Also if you add salt to the tank, leave only as many worms as can be eater quickly so that the worms don't die and foul the tank.

As with many killies, they can be acclimated to just taking dry foods. Growth and egg production will increase if they are also or exclusively fed frozen foods (defrosted in Luke-warm tap water, rinsed through a fine meshed net) or live foods.

You might also give Tony Orso a call or e-mail if he left info on the bag. It is hard to beat a conversation with the person who raised a specific killie. Do get those fish out pretty soon. (Do as I say, not....)

You are in the Maryland area. There are a couple of terrific AKA affiliate groups "nearby". You have a bunch of very skilled killie people there. On the AKA site, click on affiliate clubs. Call or e-mail their contact persons and mention that you would like to know the best ways to keep amieti. They can recommend people who have kept them and they will invite you to their affiliate's meeting. I have yet to attend a killie group's event where lots of killie talk doesn't take place. There will be lots of brains just waiting to be picked. :)

Good luck and all the best!
Scott

margaret collins <margecollins618 at hotmail_com> wrote: 


>From: "margaret collins" 
>To: webmaster at aka_org
>Subject: SOS can not find your Killifish discussion boards
>Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:51:11 -0400
>
>Just joined this group. Can't access the discussion boards.  Where do I 
>find the discussion boards?
>
>I have a trio of A amieti killifish from Tony Orso that I purchased  the 
>AquaFest 2007 auction  in Laurel Maryland. The  killies are still in the 
>bag as I don't yet know which tank to house them in. I would appreciate any 
>help you can give me in keeping these fish.
>Thanks, Marge


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