Hello everyone

I am completely new to killifish and have decided to jump right in. So last night I bid on a couple orders, on aquabid, for killi eggs. I just went by the pictures because I am not familiar all the different types of killies.

The two species I bought are:

Chromaphyosemian loenbergi kopongo

and

Chromaphyosemian bivittatum Funge

I'm pretty sure these are west african species, which is why I posted this here. If not please direct me to the correct section.

I have found very little info about these species. Does anyone know anything about them?

When I recieve the eggs what do I need to do? Do I leave them in the peat they were shipped in for a certain amount of time or do I immediately seperate the eggs and put them in a tub of water to hatch?

First, here is a link to some photos and info on the funge
http://www.aka.org/wak/Ref_Library/Aphyosemion/A.bivittatum.htm

Second, do not mix the two species as once grown they will be very difficult ot tell the females apart.

Third get them into water. They are best incubated in water not peat but sometimes peat is a handy way to ship them. Use containers about 4" by 4" by 2 inches deep. The small containers make it easier for fry to find food. Use tank water, soft if possible, around 4 or lower DH slightly acidic is nice (6.8 ish). They take 3 weeks typically to water incubate at around 75 deg F. If the eggs look brown,they are developed and will probaably hatch within the week. If clear they could take 2 to 4 weeks to develop and hatch. Newly hatched fry are best started on infusorians or microworms for a few days and then newly hatched brine shrimp. I would put some plant material like java moss or other fine plants in the water to encourage microorganisms for food. They grow to adult size in about 4 or 5 months depending on temperature and feedings. I prefer putting most bivitattum species in a group rather than a single pair per tank. Males are usually busy showing off to each other rather than beating up females if in a group. Maybe a dozen to a 10 or 15 gal tank is nice. See

http://sheneskillies.com/Articles/breedingmopspawners.htm

for some info on breeding mop spawners like these. For a group, use several floating mops.

Thanks for the help.

Yeah, I never mix species when breeding. Even if there is no chance of them cross breeding I still prefer to keep species specific breeding tanks.

My tap is at 7.5pH right now. I have a R/O unit on backorder and it should be here in the next couple weeks. Will the eggs be ok in 7.5pH until then? If not I could just use bottled water mixed with dechlorinated tap water until the R/O comes in.

If I did start them out in 7.5pH would it be better to let them stay in that pH until they hatch and then gradually acclimate them to a lower pH through water changes, or would it be better to just do a short acclimation before they hatch?

Use the water you have most of. Dechlorinated tap water is just fine for growing them out. I have never used anything but St Louis tap water for these fish. You need to find some eggs and check development. IDK how much peat you received with the eggs, but if you dump the whole thing in a glass dish with enough water to float everything, you can look through the peat both from the bottom and top with a light on either side to find eggs.

Just find the eggs. If you can't find any eggs don't expect to get a hatch, if you find some white ones, there are probably good eggs present too. Even if you don't see any at first don't give up at once. But you need to get any white ones out of the dish.

A 1/2 teaspoon of salt per liter of tank water is a good idea, it helps keep live brine shrimp alive longer and just positive for other health reasons as we..

Don't be too concerned about the RO water. Use what you have without the chlorine. Along with the plants Bill mentioned, I would add a couple of pond snails to the grow out container to keep the mess tidier.

Good Luck, let us know how it goes.

Charles H

Thanks

I have another question.

The fish profile I was linked to was for the Funge was actually for Aphyosemiom bivittatum not Chromaphyosemian bivittatum.

What is the difference between the two different species? Or are they the same with two different names?

Aphyosemion Genera has a several sort of subsets. Chromaphyosemion, Scryptaphosemion, as well as some that are just called groups like Calliurium and Splendepleure. They are all within the Aphyosemion Genera and many people do not bother with the subset tag. If you look at the west african link by Tim Addis and check Aphyosemion genera you will see a little better. MAny in a group have similar characteristics.

Ok, so I got the eggs late last week. I put the eggs along with the peat they were shipped in into water. I tried seperating the eggs from the peat but I was worried I would miss some. Should I try to seperate the eggs now that the peat is wet?

If you cannot see the eggs in the peat in the water, do not worry, it will not hurt the eggs or fry. The only problem is determining if the eggs are there. Also if you see any eggs, are they clear like glass or white or a little brown or with a visible embryo? That will tell you the stage of development. If white, they are dead. If brown they are developing. If a little yellow or clear they are not yet developing On many Epiplatys and Aphyosemion eggs if damp stored in shipment very long peat does seem to slow development. It does not hurt them and a little peat in the hatch container should not impact development of the eggs though. They should hatch in 1 to 3 weeks I would guess. When some start to hatch it would be good to put some microworms in the container. Just a little bit using the end of your finger eitherd ipped into the microworm culture or use your finger to scrape some from the container walls. Id some eggs hatched on their own, the microworms will encourage others to hatch and also provide food right away for those that hatched. Start feeding the fry on newly hatched brine shrimp a day or two after your start them on microworms.

Thanks

The ones I could find were clear and kind of yellow. I have them in a small, maybe 4oz, plastic cup floating in the 3g grow out I have for them. Should I move them to something slighlty bigger than the cup when they are all newly hatched or should I just put them in the 3g container with live plants and snails?

I prefer a larger container - about 12 oz but only 1 inch deep. The surface area is important (about 4 inch diameter). It seems to supply sufficient oxygen. Move them to the 3G when they hatch.