[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: KILLIE FISH
<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT BACK="#ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=10>
The North American Killies<BR>
by<BR>
Robert Rice<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Battered and abused, unknown and unloved. Sounds like a<BR>
movie of the week doesn't it ? Well in fact it describes our<BR>
North American Killies. North American Killies ? I didn't<BR>
know we had any you may say . You are not alone in thinking<BR>
that, and nothing could be farther from the truth ! We have<BR>
an excellent variety of Killies on this continent , brackish<BR>
and freshwater, they possess a multitude of dramatic sizes,<BR>
shapes and colors and are a hit oversees. Here sadly they<BR>
are a flop relegated to use as an occasional bait minnow !<BR>
<BR>
C'mon folks we can do SO much better than that! While we<BR>
talk about the rain forest and other ecological crisis we<BR>
let our ignorance of local flora and fauna and thus our<BR>
local Killies go unchallenged. These poor guys lie waiting<BR>
for SOMEONE, anyone to notice them. Why not you ! If<BR>
tomorrow your local newspaper ran a story saying XYZ Killi<BR>
was now extinct. Would you be surprised ? Would you know<BR>
what they were talking about ? Would you be ashamed ? Maybe<BR>
we all should be at least a little !<BR>
<BR>
For those of you unfamiliar with our native Killies they are<BR>
a broad family of small (under six inches) minnow like<BR>
fishes. With a large degree of color variation and<BR>
temperaments with in the species. Almost all of them however<BR>
are suitable aquarium specimens. They have several<BR>
characteristics that make them something your average<BR>
Aquarist should look into. First and foremost they are tough<BR>
as nails. Their tolerances to heat cold, poor water<BR>
conditions and jumping on the floor are legendary. I've had<BR>
individuals who jumped from the tank and have been unnoticed<BR>
for hours when I finally find the dry, dusty, pitiful<BR>
looking victim he flip just a bit in my hand. So back in the<BR>
tank he went and by the end of the day was back to normal !<BR>
Second they are colorful, no not a neon tetra type of<BR>
colorful, but they are colorful, as colorful as a great many<BR>
tropical's out there and a heck of a lot easier and cheaper<BR>
to keep. Finally they are very interesting behaviorally<BR>
speaking. Your average Aquarist has an excellent chance at<BR>
successfully spawning most Killies. Sadly so little is known<BR>
about the triggers to spawning that well documented breeding<BR>
data is not generally available. On the positive side when<BR>
you discover how to breed these gems the data would be a<BR>
real bonus to the University or Department of Natural<BR>
Resources folks out there. Who by the way are finding it is<BR>
the Killies not the Gambusia family that are the real<BR>
mosquito fish. A Killi will eat 5-10 times more mosquitoes<BR>
than a Gambusia. They are truly mosquito munching machines !<BR>
With all that going for them they still have been virtually<BR>
ignored by Sportsmen, Naturalist, and most Aquarist. Only a<BR>
few of us nuts out here keeping the faith and the Killies!<BR>
<BR>
That's been the hurdle our native fishes have had to conquer<BR>
! They don't lack in durability , they don't lack in looks ,<BR>
they certainly don't lack in interesting behaviors. What<BR>
they lack in is advocates ! Very few people care enough<BR>
about them to speak up for them. That is their downfall.<BR>
Book after book contains no relevant breeding or rearing<BR>
information. They all say the dreaded, see species<BR>
description. Why is that ? Is it possible that all Killies,<BR>
Sunfish , Darters and Shiners are alike ? Needing the same<BR>
water , conditions, food, and temperature requirements? Is<BR>
it possible that the entire continent is inhabited by only a<BR>
single species of Killi, Darter Sunfish etc.? Of course not<BR>
. It's just there is not enough information available.<BR>
<BR>
There is great diversity out there and for the Aquarist<BR>
there is great opportunity to work with species of which<BR>
little or nothing is known. Imagine you could be first one<BR>
to document breeding conditions of a seldom studied Killi<BR>
and you would not even have to fly to Africa. You could<BR>
begin to document the range of a species that has been<BR>
passed over in the past as only a unnamed Killi ! It's not<BR>
SCI FI it's reality! All it takes is for folks all across<BR>
the continent to get busy investing their time and resources<BR>
into studying the world around them. You could make a great<BR>
difference, without significantly changing your hobby. Keep<BR>
doing what your doing just change subjects a bit. It<BR>
matters it really does !<BR>
<BR>
OK, OK, you say, you've convinced me I'll try a few Killies<BR>
now where do I start? First check out your local library<BR>
and see if you can Find Peterson's Field Guide to Freshwater<BR>
Fishes by Brooks M. Burr and Larry Page. This resource book<BR>
will give you a real good idea of what Killies are available<BR>
locally. You should also check out and see if any people in<BR>
your area are involved in keeping native Killies. Check with<BR>
your' local Fish club or find out if there is a local<BR>
Chapter of NANFA (North American Native Fish Association) or<BR>
the AKA (American Killifish Association) both clubs are<BR>
active across the country in keeping and rearing Native<BR>
Killies and are great places to start (see side bar).<BR>
<BR>
So what Killies do I recommend you ask . I recommend a ton<BR>
of them but for brevity's sake and to help the cause I'll<BR>
cut my list down to five . Based on overall beauty,<BR>
durability , availability and authors bias. Here's my top<BR>
five in NO particular order.<BR>
<BR>
The Plains Killifish (Fundulus Zebrinus)- This charming<BR>
fellow looks like an escaped convict with his vertical bars<BR>
and golden backdrop. In the tank he is very hardy and I have<BR>
had them spawn in both the pond and the tank. He takes to<BR>
food like he takes to life ,with hardy abandon. One of the<BR>
finer specimens of a fish you can keep. It occurs in the<BR>
midwest. Sporadically from Colorado to Texas<BR>
<BR>
Lined Topminnow (Fundulus Linnelatus)- Hard to find but easy<BR>
to love this guy is cool. The male takes on vertical<BR>
striping on a light gray background while the female takes<BR>
on the horizontal stripes. Which makes them a striking pair<BR>
to say the least. They are as hardy as you can get and make<BR>
an excellent species for study or home enjoyment.<BR>
<BR>
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus Chrysotus) The Classic North<BR>
American Killi . Large, Colorful, exceedingly tolerant of<BR>
poor conditions and a bit on the mean side. Readily<BR>
available in the pet trade or through fish clubs.<BR>
<BR>
Bluefin Killie (Lucania Goodei) Probably the most well known<BR>
of the American Killies this small Killi is an excellent<BR>
pond or aquarium species . The male is strikingly colorful<BR>
with fins of blue and red. It's small size and excellent<BR>
temperament make it suitable for small tanks and jars.<BR>
Occurs in southern regions but is available commonly in the<BR>
pet trade or through fish clubs<BR>
<BR>
Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus) An excellent<BR>
addition to any community tank. This small colorful Killi<BR>
has a shy temperament and an unusual habit of living almost<BR>
exclusively in the top three inches of a tank. Very common<BR>
across the midwest and south. Very easy to collect my five<BR>
year old daughter has caught them on many occasions.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
You might also want to check out the native fish conservancy at <A
HREF="http://nativefish.interspeed.net/">Native Fish Conservancy
Homepage</A> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</HTML>
Robert Rice
Help Preserve our Aquatic Heritage join the NFC
email us at NFC at actwin_com
website http://nativefish.interspeed.net/
___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]