My First Killi by Shelly Numrych

My first Killi by Shelly Numrych

I had an invitation to a killifish meeting! I wasn't exactly sure what a killifish was, so I purchased the only book I could find on the subject - a small one - and armed with this thimbleful of knowledge, I began a most amazing fish adventure. This was one excited, knowledgeable group of hobbyists, these killie addicts of the Bay Area Killifish Association. My host's goal was to turn me into a killieperson by the end of the meeting, and he certainly succeeded. I went home with a pair of Aphyosemion gardneri - Akampa which I thought were the prettiest fish at the auction, and a handful of java moss. The good news for beginners is that some of the most colorful, handsome killies are the most affordable.

I had been very successful with my cichlids and livebearers and expected that I would have similar instant success with my killies. I was to quickly discover that some fishkeeping techniques do not transfer well between groups of fish.

I placed my pair of killies in a 2-1/2 gallon tank with the java moss and 11 platy fry about 1/2 inch long. Cichlids felt at home with dither fish so I assumed these platy fry would help calm my new killies. I then flipped on the 25 watt bulb above the tank and watched the female gardneri dive under the java moss, never to appear again. Hmmm. The male was a little bolder and would drift out at feeding time. He looked over all the live worms and brine shrimp, gingerly ate one piece, then retreated. I was not used to finicky fish. After all, my cichlids, (even the Discus) would charge their feeding rings like dogs to their supper bowls. The water would boil! Even the platy fry would rush by the killie after the live food. The platies were so tiny they could only get a tail of the brine shrimp in their mouths. Then this "food" would haul the little guys all over the tank. But the platies persevered and grew like weeds while the killies got thinner and thinner. Aargh!

In desperation, I called my killie friend for help. He advised that I remove the platy fry and reduce the lighting substantially. Killies prefer indirect subdued light. Oh! I was so concerned about the health of the female killie that I gave the pair to a friend who had more killie experience than I. My plan was to try again at the next killie meeting. This meeting was even better than the first one. The experienced members told the new members which killies were good fish to start with. I wend home with a pair of Nothobranchius and Cynolebias. I loved the opportunity to dust off my high school Latin and roll those syllables off my tongue. I loved watching my non-fishy friends' eyes glaze over when I introduced these words into conversation.

I set each pair of fish up in their own tank (no dither fish), illuminated with indirect sunlight and indirect incandescent light. Although the males were very shy, the females ate with gusto. I was over the first hurdle! I had been told that both of these killies spawned in peat moss. I obtained some aquarium grade peat moss (no fertilizers or chemicals added) which came in dry blocks. I crumbled some of it into a container and soaked it in aquarium water. The idea was to lower the container and peat moss into the killie tank. The fish would spawn in the peat moss in the container and I would lift the container out again with the peat moss and eggs. Neat and simple. Well, it seemed to be taking the peat moss an awfully long time to absorb the water, so I left it overnight. The next day, I carried it over to the Notho tank and lowered it into the water. The container went to the bottom of the tank; the peat moss floated on top! I spread all over the place: the nothos and the java moss disappeared from view. What a mess! Aargh!

No one had told me to boil the peat moss to make it sink. No one had told me to rinse the peat to flush out the high concentration of acids, etc. that first leach out of the peat moss. The male died within 30 minutes. I quickly transferred the female Notho to the other tank but she died the next day. What a disaster! I think the only thing that kept me going was my pair of Cynolebias were eating well. They were extremely shy and dove for the java moss when they saw me coming. I would sit and wait for some time before they would feel comfortable enough to come out. I decided to call my killie friend again to determine if this was fairly normal behavior for this type of killie. Since he would need to know their full Latin name, I reached for the fish bag they came in with their name written on it and... it was gone! Someone had done me a "favor", cleaned up my fish room, and threw out my used fish bags! Aargh!

A killifish without its full Latin name is like a dog that's lost its papers. They both make wonderful pets but you're always guessing at their pedigree and their value on the market is negligible. Fortunately, killie people have amazing memories. One remembered that Cynolebias constanciae had been sold at the auction, and a double check with the treasurer who had the list of auctioned fish confirmed it. I now write my killie's names in my fish diary immediately. I boiled some more peat, rinsed it until it ran clear, and added it to the Cynolebias tank. It sank(!), they spawned, and I had the inexpressible enjoyment of picking through the peat moss and finding my first killie eggs! Cynolebias eggs need to be stored for about 3 months, so it was to be a while before I could attempt to produce some Cynolebias fry. In the meantime, I purchased a bag full of 30 Fundulopanchax gardneri-albino teenagers, about 1/2 to 1 inch long. They were large enough to eat adult foods and were very easy to raise. They were not shy and came swimming up to the front glass when I visited, and I enjoyed watching them gradually attain their mature coloration and size. One day, as I was cleaning their tank, I noticed something floating in the waste water. Killie eggs! They were spawning already! And it only takes about 10 days for gardneri eggs to develop into fry. Ironically, I was leaving on a killifish field trip the next morning and didn't have time to locate a "proper" container for the eggs. So I put them and a little water into a teacup. When I returned from my trip two days later, one of the eggs had hatched and I was looking at my first killie fry! Omigosh, it looked like a hair with eyeballs! Since we were having a cold snap and temperatures in the house were cooler than usual, I was worried that the water in the teacup would get too cool for the fry. So I lifted the lid on the gardneri tank and floated the teacup on the surface. Perfect. I went to bed that night with a big smile of satisfaction, accomplishment and happiness on my face. My first killie fry!

The next morning, I rushed to the killie tank to check on the fry. Aargh! Smiling up at me from inside the teacup was my largest male gardneri who had jumped in there sometime during the night! Although I covered their tank "just in case", my gardneri had never jumped anywhere... until now! Into a teacup! I fished "Smiley" out and looked half heartedly for the fry who I was sure had become "Smiley's" breakfast. Ah ha! He was still there. I couldn't believe it. I danced a few steps of the Killie Shuffle.

My killifish adventure continues. I discovered a fascinating and extensive group of exotic fish (and the sometimes even more exotic hobbyists that enjoy them). Please consider keeping a pair of killies. I recommend joining the American Killifish Association. All new members receive a Beginner's Guide that would have helped prevent most of the Aarghs! that occurred to me in this article. Have patience with your fish and efforts. The best single piece of advice I ever received was... "Each fish is an individual. Although you might have started with a 'beginner's' killie, you might also have selected an individual killie that was so finicky and cantankerous that even an expert would have had trouble with him." So keep trying. It can't be an adventure without a few bumps! Reprinted with permission from SWAM, publication of the Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society, Volume 13, Number 2, March/April 1991, pp. 27-29.