2017-05-20

KILLIFISH Are of Interest to Experienced Fish-Keepers

Killifish are basically medium sized fish. They have a peculiar cylindrical shape. With their upward turning mouths and habit of swimming near the surface of the water, they are very unique in the fish community. They are found mainly in Africa and North as well as South America and some parts of Asia.

Killifish Killi des mangroves
Killifish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
They are famous for their unique behavior while breeding. Most of them are the annual killifish and they live for a short time. They follow a peculiar life cycle.

Killifish as such are happy to stay in soft but acidic water and if there is any extract of black water in it, it makes an ideal condition for their living. If the temperature the water is lower, it suits them. So if they are kept in an indoor aquarium which is not heated, they can live a bit longer.

They are not 'social' in nature. If you keep them with other species of fish, they will usually ignore them. However, some will be aggressive with other males in the breeding season. They cannot be considered as schooling fish also. In fact, male and female will swim together but they will totally ignore other mates in the aquarium and other species too.

Killifish will not eat plants so they are suitable for aquarium with a lot of plants. They should not be kept in a tank with higher temperatures because that will shorten their life.

They lay their eggs for reproduction. These eggs are very tough and they can survive even in the times of partial dehydration. In fact some of the eggs may not hatch if they are not out of water for a certain period of time.

There are two types of killifish on the basis of their breeding pattern - some are egg hangars. They will lay eggs on the plants and these eggs can survive several seasons. The other type is called bottom layers which will live in bodies of water which will get dry during some part of the year. They will bury their eggs in the mud and those eggs will survive until the period of rain starts.

If you want to breed killifish, find out whether they are egg hangars from your pet store. For this type of killifish, the breeding process is relatively easy. You should keep them in a tank which is having plenty of plants with big leaves. The eggs will develop eventually and they will hatch within a period of three weeks.



If you are trying with the other type of killifish, you should provide peat moss in the tank which will be an ideal place for them to bury the eggs. It will take a period of several months for the eggs to hatch as they should be placed in dry conditions and thereafter again in water to hatch. After the dry season, if you provide soft and slightly acidic water with modest temperature, that will be an ideal environment for the eggs to hatch.

Killifish are not very difficult to keep but beginners usually like to stay away from them as their life cycle is short and their breeding is not in normal way like other species. Experienced fish-keepers like them because of their unique breeding pattern and their colorful and lively presence in the aquarium.

    Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way.
    Article Source: EzineArticles


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