I've always wondered that too. i've been looking for some locally for over a year now and no such luck. they seem to be most often available in egg form that you hatch and raise yourself. i am weiry to try this on my own though.
Why Aren't Killifish More Popular?
- Thread starter AquaticNovice
- Start date
They used to be considered a "specialist's fish": short lived, specific water conditions, live foods, & spawning requiring peat moss & a drying period.
I had only a brief fling keeping gardneri killies this year, an unplanned auction purchase. They were sort of like "killer guppies" (they are in the same tooth carp family).
Voracious eaters, jumping above the surface for food, I kept the water level down. They tried to eat shrimp almost as big as themselves. I'm sure smaller fish would be eaten.
They spawned often but I never could see the eggs for all the plants. The female was dead (killed?) one morning, ripped open abdomen full of eggs.
I moved the male to a tank with apistos, SAE & kuhlis after asking here. I didn't find a body, I think he may have jumped. The SAE nipped his tail once that I saw, mistaken for a food flake?
It was an interesting experience but I don't think I'll try them again.
I had only a brief fling keeping gardneri killies this year, an unplanned auction purchase. They were sort of like "killer guppies" (they are in the same tooth carp family).
Voracious eaters, jumping above the surface for food, I kept the water level down. They tried to eat shrimp almost as big as themselves. I'm sure smaller fish would be eaten.
They spawned often but I never could see the eggs for all the plants. The female was dead (killed?) one morning, ripped open abdomen full of eggs.
I moved the male to a tank with apistos, SAE & kuhlis after asking here. I didn't find a body, I think he may have jumped. The SAE nipped his tail once that I saw, mistaken for a food flake?
It was an interesting experience but I don't think I'll try them again.
An easy entrypoint into the fabulous world of killifishes might be topminnows (Fundulus sp.) They are attractive, fairly readily available, and generally do not require specialized breeding arrangements (some will only breed in salt or brackish water).
LFSs don't usually carry them, but they are readily available online. I can give you some vendors, if you like.
Also, the Seminole killifish (F. seminolis) and bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) are common stowaways in feeder shrimp tanks and can often be had for free or a nominal charge from LFSs. Other common stowaways are green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), swamp darters (Etheostoma fusiforme), and various catfishes. I always take a look at the shrimp tank when I go to the LFS, just in case.
Also, the Seminole killifish (F. seminolis) and bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) are common stowaways in feeder shrimp tanks and can often be had for free or a nominal charge from LFSs. Other common stowaways are green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), swamp darters (Etheostoma fusiforme), and various catfishes. I always take a look at the shrimp tank when I go to the LFS, just in case.
I bought three Killifish 3 or 4 months ago. They are pretty aggressive. I added them to my aquarium of three Zebra Danios. Imagine my surprise when the largest Killifish had one of my Danios in his mouth! Only the Danio's tail was sticking out of the Killifish's mouth. He eventually spit the Danio out, but of course, it didn't live long after that. I still have all three Killifish, and they're doing great.
