Mangrove Killifish

[Tifftastic]

A post doc in my department has a contract that is up and he'll be moving on to another university (I'm gonna miss him, he was really helpful), but his fish aren't. He's found someone to take over his minnows and stickleback for research, but he has about 50 of these little mangrove killies that have no home. They're all pedigreed (clonal fish) and he's hoping to have someone take over rather than giving them to a pet store. Either one of my two supervisors may take them over, but that still leaves a few jumpers that ended up in random tanks and are no longer pedigreed. These won't be usable for genetics research unfortunately. So, I've been debating, as I'm finally settled enough to get myself a tank, and I think I've decided that I'm going to try and get a few of the unpedigreed ones.

They're not even an inch long at full grown so I'm thinking asking for roughly three of them. There are plenty of abandoned tanks in our "tank graveyard" and the other day I found a ~ 3 gallon (~12 x 8 x 8 inch) rimless glass tank that I should be able to snag.

So, I'm thinking of setting this up this week getting myself a small sponge filter and starting the cycle going. I'm pretty sure it would be the right size, but I'm just wanting to see if you guys think that something that size would be ok for 3 of these gals? Or should I go for a 5 gallon instead? They don't seem super active in the lab, unless its when they get a wild hair and decide to climb the glass divider into the next tank. But it could be different when they're off that 12:12 light schedule. Just looking for a second opinion =)

 

[Tifftastic]

Everyone likes pics, I snapped one today. My supervisor was teaching all day so I didn't get to ask him.

 

[fishorama]

Those are quite pretty! I've never had such small tanks but my only experience with a rimless wasn't good with any fish that might jump. 3 gallons just seems so small...what are its dimensions?

 

[Tifftastic]

Dimensions are roughly 12" x 8" x 6" the fish are about 1 cm in length. They're very tiny. There are a few abandoned 5 gallons down there that I might be able to snag.

 

[killiphil]

Kleptolebias marmoratus is an hermaphroditic killifish, and as far as I know, the only vertebrate to be such. Therefore, your "guys" are probably gals. Most Kmars are consequently clonal. Occasionally males do show up, and then the species will reproduce sexually. Bruce Turner at Virginia Tech did a lot of research on them. A 3 gal will work if you mind your water changes, and try to match the water that they were raised in.These fish can survive a long time out of water. They are mangrove fish, so they live in variable salinities. When the tide goes out, they are often left high and dry. They have been found in crevices in hollow logs, lined head to tail, like cars in a drive-thru. When the tide comes in and they resubmerge, they just swim away. You can get more info from the American Killifish Association (AKA).

 

[fishorama]

Wow, interesting stuff, Phil! Thanks for the info.

 

[Tifftastic]

Kleptolebias marmoratus is an hermaphroditic killifish, and as far as I know, the only vertebrate to be such. Therefore, your "guys" are probably gals. Most Kmars are consequently clonal. Occasionally males do show up, and then the species will reproduce sexually. Bruce Turner at Virginia Tech did a lot of research on them. A 3 gal will work if you mind your water changes, and try to match the water that they were raised in.These fish can survive a long time out of water. They are mangrove fish, so they live in variable salinities. When the tide goes out, they are often left high and dry. They have been found in crevices in hollow logs, lined head to tail, like cars in a drive-thru. When the tide comes in and they resubmerge, they just swim away. You can get more info from the American Killifish Association (AKA).

I did refer to them as clonal and gals in my first post =)

The ones I would be getting are jumpers that have moved themselves to a new tank and aren't pedigreed, but I can get the salinity, pH and all other info easy from the records in the aquarium room. I just wasn't sure the 3 gallons would be enough space. I did find a more square 5 gallon in the basement over the weekend and I will probably aim for that one.

Thanks for the extra info!

 

[killiphil]

I did refer to them as clonal and gals in my first post =)

The ones I would be getting are jumpers that have moved themselves to a new tank and aren't pedigreed, but I can get the salinity, pH and all other info easy from the records in the aquarium room. I just wasn't sure the 3 gallons would be enough space. I did find a more square 5 gallon in the basement over the weekend and I will probably aim for that one.

Thanks for the extra info!

A 5 gal is always good. I must have misread your post, you did call them gals. Sorry. Definitely check to see what water they have been raised in. Also find out if any changes in water are required to get them to spawn-such as changes in salinity, hardness, temp, water level, lighting, etc. Get as much info as you can from the people who cared for them. I've checked on them, and they are indeed mop spawners, so you can just make a mop out of yarn and a cork and it should be fine. Also, they like hard water and the addition of some salt to their water should be appreciated. A 2.5 gal was used to breed them, but you will need something for any fry, so go ahead and get any tanks that you can. You can always sell or give them away. Kmars are not known for their color. Once, you've learned to manage them, you can try some that are a lot more colorful. Also, as you said, they are jumpers. That's how they move from puddle to puddle. Cover the tank with only a big enough hole for the airline. I used clear plastic sold as screen door replacement in the hardware stores. It's easy to cut to size. and you can make a simple handle with hot melt glue and a piece of scrap wood.