# Nevertheless killifish!



## Arthur7

Hi,
It looks as though I were a little bit crazy. It can be. 
After the last thread I come to you again with a killifish. 
If also has almost no interest in it. But everyone has started after he has looked at other fish. Then came the enthusiasm. 
Please look at this fish still on.





I know him as Aphyosemion liberiense, but the names have been changed. Aphyosemion liberiensis Rachow 1924, then Scriptaphyosemion liberiense (Boulenger 1908). (Is still valid). Is not he beautiful? 





Here I have tried to get the display behavior of the males into the picture. This is something I like doing, even if doing small mistakes happen (lens ring). Excuse the please! 
Well, I'll see what happens. It does not matter. 

Have a nice day.


----------



## Jet

Those are lovely fish. I only have kept the blue gularis. Hope to branch out to more species in the future.


----------



## coralbandit

Another beautiful killie!Thanks Arthur.


----------



## Arthur7

The Blue gularis. That's interesting. How did it because with fish keeping. I send you a picture for comparison.



Is it the same?


----------



## Jet

Arthur7 said:


> The Blue gularis. That's interesting. How did it because with fish keeping. I send you a picture for comparison.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it the same?


Yes I believe so. Mine are more yellow coloured around the belly/flanks, but I'd expect colour to vary. I haven't posted any pics of any of my tanks here yet, call me lazy, but I will take some soon and post some of my killies. Beautiful fish again, BTW.


----------



## majerah1

Beautiful! It has been some time since we had someone wanting to share pictures of Killie fish.


----------



## Arthur7

for Jet
Yes, he is. The colors may vary. The names have been changed several times. Fundulus sjoestedti; Blue gularis; Fundulopanchax sjoestedti; Aphyosemion coeruleum; Aphyosemion sjoestedti (to my knowledge valid). I have grown it for several years. He's big, 4-5 inches but not aggressive. If desired, I can say more.
I'm curious about the pictures.


----------



## Arthur7

Jet said:


> Yes I believe so. Mine are more yellow coloured around the belly/flanks, but I'd expect colour to vary. I haven't posted any pics of any of my tanks here yet, call me lazy, but I will take some soon and post some of my killies. Beautiful fish again, BTW.


I happen to have seen the 4 pictures in your gallery.
There are very nice A. sjoestedti. With more red in the tail and on the sides. If you have further multiplied the fish?


----------



## Woldera

hello Arthur 

Do you still have the scriptaphyosemion liberiense. Beautiful species. Som 35 years ago I had these fish, I bought them as Rollofia Bertholdi. Since then I have never seen this fish again until I googled again last sunday and saw your pictures. Iimmediately made an account on this forum. I would be very pleased if I would be able to get some eggs

regards Alje Woldering Assen Netherlands


----------



## susankat

A few years ago I kept several species of killies, I still have pics but most I cant remember the names, (old timers disease). I still have a group of local wild caught killies that the locals called them pink lemonades.


----------



## big b

hmm got any pics of pink lemonade?and i have not seen you before jet and everybody on here knows i am on here a lot.so nice to meet you i am big b


----------



## Woldera

he Arthur, I know Jan Willem. I will ask him. It's a pity that you no longer have them. I don't think we have them in our KFN community (i have a species list)
Are you a member of the DKG? Can you remember who gave you these fishes.
My search will go one I hope!

best regards Alje


----------



## Arthur7

It is possible that I had this from Mr. Ulmke from Dortmund. DKG I am not a member.
If you have a species list, I might later one search. But that's not such a hurry.

Good luck with the search
regards


----------



## Woldera

hallo Arthur,

here is my species list:

Aphyosemion ahli lobe JVC 08
A australe
A australe goud
A celiae CRC 21 Tege
A gabuense gabuense GBG 93/30
A Louessense RPC 78/33
A Ottogartneri Lutete
A calliurum funge
A congicum
A striatum
Chromaphyosemion biteaeniatum Ijebu ode
C poliaki bolifamba
Fundulopanchax oeseri GEHMS 00/45
F spoorenbergi
F scheeli
Scriptaphyosemion Schmitti Juarzon

I will keep you informed about my search

regards Alje


----------



## Arthur7

Thank you for the list.

You have the bitaeniatum? Is it this?


----------



## Woldera

its more likte this:


best regards Alje


----------



## Arthur7

Your fish are even more beautiful. The fins longer. But an affinity exists. The fish on my picture we called A. bivittatum, Lönnberg. He was very much renamed. I have been looking for it.
Now I have all basins full of fish. I must first make you free.
Sometime perhaps we could do something. The distance is not so great.

friendly greetings


----------



## coralbandit

As I struggle with my German Blue Rams,I see what both of you have to offer!
WOW what great looking fish!
I guess I always still have time to try out killies someday!Hopefully sooner then later,those are some INCREDIBLE LOOKING FISH!!!!


----------



## Arthur7

It is advantageous: Killies are satisfied with a smaller aquarium.
But throughout the year must be safe live food base.
Butterfly cichlids are my dream. But since I needed larger tanks.


----------



## discusbreeder

In the seventies I bred several species of killifish. They were really popular for a while and then the fervor died out. I have rarely seen good specimens for sale since then but may go back into them before long.


----------



## Arthur7

It is very true what you say.
From '65 bis'89 we were a big club. 120 members. all dealers of the city at the table. The carp hosts (a cooperative) in the club. We had to catch a permit card for fleas. 30 to 40 ponds (how far one wanted to go.) The card cost 12 marks a year. Trawl was allowed.
This knew the dealers who were killies with whom. This is important for Nothobranchius, because since the transfer must go quickly.



In these years, we constantly had many kinds Killies. And at the beginners was a great interest. We had an exhibition every year and an additional stock exchange.
In recent times I've tried to bring it back to life. But I had no success. The animal lovers now have a dog. Done.


----------



## joecrouse

Just bout (about 2 weeks back) two golden wonders an male and a female. strangely enough they were at PETCO of all places. 

I have them in my large 29 tall. they are cool looking but id love to find some of the more Orange/blue ones


----------



## Arthur7

Do you Nothobranchius, or other type.
If you have Nothobranchius that are fully colored, I must you to say something important.


----------



## joecrouse

I WISH I could find some Nothobranchius but No petstore/LFS carries them Infact this is the first time I have ever found Killifish in stores. Aphyosemion australe Would be nice too and would look awesome in my tank.


----------



## big b

well you can special order most fish from a pet store.well as long as they sell fish but it's a given.


----------



## Kehy

I regret having tanks that wouldn't work for killies. Lovely fish


----------



## Arthur7

You can also order that eggs are sent. The Netherlands is a good source. But this should be done better in the summer.


----------



## Arthur7

Kehy said:


> I regret having tanks that wouldn't work for killies. Lovely fish


Each basin is suitable. It need not be large. 100% covered. Otherwise jump out.


----------



## joecrouse

haven't seen the killies jump cept the once when I was letting them acclimate in a bucket. Caused the dishrag I had on the bucket to lift about a foot in the air. I DID have a Rummy Nose Tetra Try to Commit suicide while I was feeding a few days ago. 
Lept out out the top of the tank and fell about 4 feet onto the hardwood floor I was LUCKY my dog didn't snarf the thing up like a french fry.


----------



## Kehy

Arthur7 said:


> Each basin is suitable. It need not be large. 100% covered. Otherwise jump out.


Therein lies the problem. I have a deep love of open top tanks (as does my cat), but also a deep love of jumping fish. 

I have considered trying some in my container pond. Again, jumping was an issue with that, but with how much sunlight and the natural goodies in pond bring out the best colors in fish, I'm dying to see how good they can make a killie.


----------



## Arthur7

For the jumping of killies must have understanding. In their homeland If the water in the dry season less and less. If the pool is too small, they are too close. As they try to find a larger overland water hole.


----------



## kalyke

I found golden wonders too, and got one male, two female. There are two more available, but I don't know which gender. Certainly I will try to spawn them and hatch the eggs. I am a elementary teacher, and the whole life cycle of the killie fish is an amazing natural history lesson that I would like to share with my kids.

I am not sure what to do with all the extra fish.

I have them in 10 gallon tanks with screen tops. As for tops, you can buy fish tank black plastic edging and apply window screen to make a top for about 5$.


----------



## Arthur7

I understand times Aplocheilus lineatus. Since there is a particularly golden variety.
The males have longer fins. (cock, anal and dorsal)
The males have significantly more color.
The species is 4 "tall and requires great live food. This is sometimes a problem.
Not anual.
Who has enough water. A very interesting fish.
,


----------



## navigator black

Killie keepers? Great.
I am keeping and breeding:
Aphyosemion ogoense 80-24, A. striatum 00-33, A exiogoideum Ngoudoufola, A exigoideum BWW 00-2, A zygaima, A biteniatum Lagos, A biteniatum Ijebu Ode, Lucania goodei, Procatopus similis and Rivulus christinae.
I am growing young (from last summer's eggs) of A bivittatum Funge, Fundulopanchax nigerianus Makurdi, Rivulus pacificus, and A. bualanum Sambolabbo. I have wild adults of Aplocheilichthys (Congopanchax ) brichardi and Cubanichthys cubensis. 

I guess it's a give away - I am seriously into killies, and have been for 22 years.


----------



## kalyke

Can they eat meal worms?


----------



## navigator black

Golden wonders with meal worms? Hmm. That is one live food I have never cultured. I hope you get an answer.


----------



## Arthur7

You have many wonderful kinds. Some of them I already had. Striatum.
Since were only male. A. bitaeniatum as of Ijebu Ode. The name was formerly A. bivittatum. A. sjoestedti I have had a long time. You must get a good base.
Where did you get them sent up eggs?



Maybe I'll start again to Cynolebias nigripinnis 
I have seen on the market.

I think the mealworms as they are offered as bird feed, are too large for the large Aplocheilus
It is said that insects that fall into the water main food in nature. Even young fish. Feeding with Drosophila would be good.

You can see it in the mouth that want to eat at the surface.


----------



## navigator black

I get killies from various sources. Some are wild imports. Most are through Canadian killifish friends, or from the American Killifish Association. Some are Aquabid eggs. My ogoense line began with a male from Holland, raised frpm eggs, and females from a Canadian keeper. I've had my zygaima since 1992, through many generations. 

Killies can be hard to get, and well worth treasuring.


----------



## kalyke

Ants and other small insects from outside? Will they like those?


----------



## navigator black

When they are caught in the wild and analyzed, their stomachs are full of ants that have fallen in the water. Ants seem to be a major food for them. Some types we might catch would have a lot of formic acid, but they have always eaten every ant I gave them. I just don't have a steady source (it's -12 outside here - warming up!). Culturing ants indoors could go really wrong - strangely, my family would not understand...

I have cultured wingless, laboratory fruit flies - a very easy food to raise. Killies love them. Freshly hatched brine shrimp are good, as are cultured white worms. When Spring comes, Daphnia come too. And ants. I confess, I catch them sometimes when I have free time.


----------



## kalyke

Perfect! Thanks!


----------



## Arthur7

kalyke said:


> I am a elementary teacher, and the whole life cycle of the killie fish is an amazing natural history lesson that I would like to share with my kids.
> 
> Very good thing!
> That would make anyone here with us too. There are only old aquarists.
> I was fleas collected near a school. Many children are gone. No one cares. Mostly with I-phone in his hand.
> 
> Ants I myself have not tried it yet. But wingless fruit flies.
> (Drosophila). In addition, fleas, like the other fish. Tubifex. But if it was warmer, immediately mosquito larvae.


----------



## navigator black

I'm a High School teacher - not of science. But I have worked with science teachers to use my killies for projects, and they work well. Aphyosemion killies have perfectly clear eggs that incubate for 14-21 days at 20c. If you can get even a cheap digital microscope, you can do great things. 

We were able to film the development of the embryo inside the egg a few years ago. As it advanced you could even see red corpuscles moving though the heart. It was a remarkable project, as the kids then raised the fish that hatched. The process can be seen through the egg (it is small) with the eye, but with zero detail. At my age, with less than when I first got killies... 

It is too cold where I am (Canada) to do much now, but when spring comes, depending on where you are, I could mail you some eggs. It wouldn't be much of a project as by the time they arrived, they'd be close to hatching, but for next school year, if you raised them, you would have something. Where in the world are you?


----------



## Arthur7

I am delighted with your offer. But it probably will not go. The distance will be too large. East Germany, Saxony, Chemnitz.
How long will it take a package?
But maybe we should try it anyway. A. bitaeniatum Ijebu Ode would interest me. On the bench I asked for transfer. No Problem.
If it is getting warmer, we make a PM. Thank You.


----------



## kalyke

navigator black said:


> I'm a High School teacher - not of science. But I have worked with science teachers to use my killies for projects, and they work well. Aphyosemion killies have perfectly clear eggs that incubate for 14-21 days at 20c. If you can get even a cheap digital microscope, you can do great things.
> 
> We were able to film the development of the embryo inside the egg a few years ago. As it advanced you could even see red corpuscles moving though the heart. It was a remarkable project, as the kids then raised the fish that hatched. The process can be seen through the egg (it is small) with the eye, but with zero detail. At my age, with less than when I first got killies...
> 
> It is too cold where I am (Canada) to do much now, but when spring comes, depending on where you are, I could mail you some eggs. It wouldn't be much of a project as by the time they arrived, they'd be close to hatching, but for next school year, if you raised them, you would have something. Where in the world are you?


I am in rural New Mexico. A very poor school system. Do you have your films up on you tube? 

This sounds like it may be a very intresting multi-year project!


----------



## navigator black

Unfortunately, the clips vanished when the teacher I was working with retired - he lost them.
There must be others.
I am an experienced shipper of killie eggs, and it usually works. The regulations at the US border keep me from being able to send you fish, which would have been best. However, I'd gladly send eggs. 

Right now, no. Anything would freeze here, in a Canadian winter. New Mexico sounds pretty exotic to me - I have successfully gotten eggs that hatched to several European countries, and I do have some heat tolerant, easy to breed killies here. I'm thinking it gets warm there.


----------



## Arthur7

Yes, there is no hurry. I am very patient. The best time of the year we can try it.
For eggs there are no restrictions?


----------



## navigator black

We're probably better to got he private messsage route, as we have three countries involved, and the regulations for each won't be very exciting for the forum to read.


----------



## Arthur7

Yes of course. I am waiting for your PM if you can give eggs.


----------



## kalyke

Interesting. Thanks! I will go asking around for importation rules. Yes, New Mexico is a rather exotic state. The weather can get snowy and cold, depending on where you are, but is usually in the 70 to 80 range. Summers can get to the 100 s the best time to send perishable items are spring or fall. May is a good month, so is October. I am eager and willing to try hatching killies!


----------



## kalyke

Sadly one o the killies took a suicidal jump on Sunday. I had been changing my gravel to a planted tank type expensive gravel, and I had moved the fish to buckets. When I was done, one killie was missing. I looked all over, and a cat was around, so I do not think she survived.


----------



## Arthur7

Oh, I forgot to say. If Killis are in the bucket, always forking out a large towel. Without wrinkles.
But now it's too late first. what a shame.


----------



## kalyke

Arthur7 said:


> Oh, I forgot to say. If Killis are in the bucket, always forking out a large towel. Without wrinkles.
> But now it's too late first. what a shame.


Yes I feel like a failure. One of my glass cats got a broken barble also. I need to be more careful.


----------



## Woldera

hello there,

untill now a have not been able to get Scriptaphyosemion Liberiense.
I have asked several killi keepers in Germany but with no results so far.
This species was also not available at the auction in Neuss on 21 march 2015:

To get to the list:

Börsenliste 7. Neusser Killifischtag 21.03.2015 ? Deutsche Killifisch Gemeinschaft

kind regards Alje Woldering


----------



## Arthur7

Hello, Alje. I am looking forward to hearing from you again. I am also looking for beautiful Killis. I wish again to A. sjoestedti. and A. bitaeniatum Ojebu Ode. Also A. elberti is a very nice fish. Maybe eggs can be sent.
Thanks for the link. I Wish You Success.


----------



## kalyke

Lonesome George has murdered his last endler! 


My Golden wonder Killie has eaten 8 of my 12 endlers in the last few days. Here is a shot of his guilty face. 








I am exiling him to his own 10 gallon tank as of today. 

This fish is huge, and what is with the black stripe he has developed? You can see it on his side.


----------



## kalyke

Well, I sent the Golden Killie packing. I re-homed him at the fish store. I traded him in on a Zebra Danio. A sporty little fish who does not kill his friends.


----------

