I have a 30 gallon community tank and I'm hoping to add some killifish. After researching a lot of different species, I'm thoroughly overwhelmed. My tank is currently stocked with some rasboras, red-eye tetras and a bunch of plants. The pH and hardness are both 7. Here are some species that I like, maybe you experts could help me narrow it down to one that would work:
Aphyosemion louessense
A. pyrophore
A. congicum
A. bitaeniatum
A. bivittatum
Scriptaphyosemion schmitti

Are any of these good for a community aquarium? Are there others you would suggest? I have experience with tropical fish, but have never had killis, so are any of these are too difficult? Thanks for any advice you can share.

Andrew,

Of your list, I would suggest the bivs or the bits. They both have bigger fins so watch out for fish that might nip. The others on your list can be either difficult to find or too shy to bother with. I have had real good success with Aphy striatum and Fundulopanchax gardneri in a community plant tank. Both of these are relatively easy to find for purchase, social, and hardy.

Keith

Thanks Keith. I've been looking on Aquabid for eggs, so hopefully with a little patience I can find a pretty wide variety of species. I'll definitely look into striatum and gardneri. If I buy eggs I'll probably have lots, so can any of these killis be kept in larger groups or are pairs the only way to go?

Sure you can keep more than a pair together. Alpha males will nip at other males, but this problem is minimal if fish are given a big enough tank and enough cover, which it sounds like you have in your 30 gallon. I have a couple of striatum males in a small space i.e. two and a half gallons. The big male chases the smaller one, but no real harm is done because there are a couple of pretty big mops providing lots of cover.

Okay, I think I've finally made up my mind. There are some F. gardneri 'Lafia Gold' eggs on Aquabid for a good price. I appreciate your advice, can I pick your brain one more time? The eggs are in British Columbia (right across the border from me, so hopefully shipping will be fast.) Can killifish eggs be imported? Do I need to fill out any forms or will Customs not care about a little package of eggs? Thanks for all the help.

Well.......I guess techinically if there are more than a dozen eggs or some such thing they need to be inspected by Fish and Wildlife at the border. Many people from the US order internationally without these inspections and don't have a problem. The person mailing the package is supposed to declare its contents on the label and you should just need to wait for your eggs.

It is best to get eggs from people close to home. The longer they fly the worse the hatch rate gets sometimes.

Keith