Killfish (Fundulopanchax Gardneri)

Boas, um dos principais erros que os aquariofilistas fazem no início, por mim falo é começarem com peixes vivíparos, como os guppies ou platys, que são bastante fáceis de ter em cativeiro. Pois bem o erro no é começar por usar uma espécie fácil, o erro incorre de duas situações:
1- Misturar vivíparos com ovíparos
2- Manter-se sempre com esses peixes e não evoluir.

Pois bem hoje trago-vos um peixe curioso, cujas ovas se podem mandar vir pelo correio, bastante resistentes e se podem incubar e criar fácilmente, com artemia ou fragmentos finos de comida, a SERA tem.
Pois bem trago-vos os Killis, uns peixes pequenos muito bonitos e resistentes uma óptima alternativa em quem estagnou em betas, guppies e etc. Ofereçam a um amigo os peixes e avancem ;).

Aplocheilidae
Distribution

Cameroon and Nigeria.
Habitat

It occurs in rainforest and savanna streams and ponds.
Maximum Standard Length

2.6" (6.5cm).
Minimum Tank Size

18" x 10" x 10" (45cm x 25cm x 25cm) - 28 litres, although it can be spawned in smaller aquaria.
Tank Setup

A dark substrate should be used, ideally peat moss or similar and the tank should have dense areas of planting and pieces of wood to serve as cover. The use of floating plants to further diffuse the light is also recommended. This species is an accomplished jumper so the cover must be very tight fitting. The water in the aquarium should be filtered through peat if possible.
Temperature

73-79°F (23-26°C)
pH Range

6.0-7.5
Hardness

2-10°H
Diet

Small live or frozen foods such as daphnia or bloodworm are preferred although the fish will also accept good quality flake in most cases.
Compatibility

This is a robust killi that can be kept with others, but is not a fish for the general community. Species that inhabit different levels of the tank than the killis make the best tankmates, such as Corydoras catfish, peaceful dwarf cichlids or Loricariids. Male F. g. gardneri are very aggressive towards one another and sufficient space must be provided if more than one is to be kept. Females should be kept in small groups of 2 or 3 per male as they may be harassed quite vigorously by the males.
Sexual Dimorphism

Males are more brightly coloured than females.
Breeding

Relatively easy. Egg scatterers. There exist several different methods of spawning this fish in aquaria and much is down to personal preference. A trio can easily be spawned in an aquarium as small as 12" x 8" x 8". It's recommended that this fish be spawned in trios of 2 females and 1 male as males can be quite hard on females.

Many breeders do not use filtration in killi breeding setups but the the use of a small, air-driven sponge filter to prevent stagnation will do no harm. Water should be soft and acidic pH 6.0-6.5 (although there are instances of this species being bred in water of up to pH 8.0) with a temperature of 75-80°F. The tank should be unlit, and peat filtration is useful.

The fish should be conditioned on a varied diet of live and frozen foods. Keep the 2 sexes apart in separate conditioning tanks and selecting the best male and plumpest females before placing them in the spawning tank. This method allows females to recover between spawnings. Eggs are deposited in the substrate or in clumps of vegetation in nature. Therefore, either a layer of peat moss on the floor of the aquarium or clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss should be provided. Spawning mops can also be used. A bare-bottomed setup with spawning mops is easiest for both maintenance and egg collection.

If water conditions are good and the fish are well conditioned, spawning should present no problems. The eggs can be left in the aquarium to hatch with the parents but some eggs and fry may be eaten. If you want to raise a good-sized group, the eggs should be removed. 10-30 eggs are deposited daily for around 2 weeks and these should be gently removed as they are noticed. Each trio should only be allowed to spawn for a week or so before being returned to the conditioning tank as the spawning process is hard on the fish (particularly the female) and they can become fatigued and weak if left for too long.

Once removed, the eggs can be incubated either in water or by placing them on a damp layer of peat moss in a small container (margarine tubs are ideal). Less eggs tend to fungus using the latter method, although fungussed eggs should still be removed as they are noticed.

If incubating in water, the eggs can be transferred to a small aquarium or dish containing water from the spawning tank to a depth of 1-2 inches to which has been added 1-3 drops of methylene blue depending on volume. This container should be checked daily for fungussed eggs, which should be removed with a pipette. The eggs will hatch in 14-20 days depending on temperature.

If incubating on peat moss place the container in a warm, dark place and simply leave it for 21 days, after which the eggs will be ready to hatch. If you are spawning several species or multiple broods it is a good idea to label each container with the date, hatching date, species and number of eggs to prevent any disasters. Hatching can usually be induced by simply placing the eggs in the raising aquarium after 21 days, where the wetting of the eggs stimulates hatching. If this fails, blowing gently into the water through a straw or piece of airline can trigger hatching.

The fry can be fed brine shrimp nauplii or microworm as soon as they have used up their yolk sacs. The water must initially be kept very shallow but the level can be raised as the fry grow, which they do rapidly. Regular small water changes should be made to the raising tank.

Notes

This is a superb beginner's killifish being beautiful, easy to breed and relatively long-lived. It was formerly classed as Aphyosemion gardneri and indeed still is in much of the available literature. It is a member of the subgenus Paraphyosemion. There are many different colour variants in nature and several have been described as subspecies, including F. g. nigerianus, F. g. lacustris and F. g. mamfensis. Obviously, these should not be allowed to hybridise in aquaria and so should not be kept together, although aquarium care them all is virtually identical.

Interestingly it appears that F. g. gardneri occurs as both an annual and non-annual fish. This adaptation allows it to inhabit many different habitats, as it's able to breed in both permananent and temporary bodies of water.

(by Seriously Fish)

Para mais info: http://www.seriouslyfish.com/


Breeding Fundulopanchax gardneri Jos Plateau

By Kenneth Balog
From Wet Pet Gazette, Norwalk Aquarium Society
Aquarticles

Fundulopanchax gardenri is a beautiful semi-annual killifish from west central Africa. The species is comprised of a large number of geographical subspecies and color variants ranging from yellow through reds, greens, and blues.

The subject of this article, Fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus Jos Plateau, comes from the Jos Plateau region of central Nigeria. Its habitat ranges from streams, pools and ponds in forests and grasslands of the region. The water is soft and slightly acidic with temperatures ranging from 74-79 degrees Fahrenheit. The Jos Plateau population reaches a maximum size of approximately 2 ½ inches. Males are sky blue with red spots across the head and body. The unpaired fins are blue at the body with a red stripe and finally a broad yellow border. Females are dull brown with dark brown spots and a light abdomen. The females are generally smaller with a larger girth.

Fundulopanchax gardneri is a classic two-week mop-spawning killifish. As such, a pair was placed in a bare 2 ½ gallon tank with just an airstone. The fish seemed happiest with a very gentle current in the tank, so the airflow was kept very low. The water was 74 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH of 6.8, and 40-60 % water changes were made almost every day. The fish were fed a variety of flakes, frozen, and live foods. The male and female got along well from the start and no problems with diseases were experienced.

A spawning mop was added to the tank and suspended below a plastic fishing float, and the fish proceeded to produce eggs at a rate of 7- 34 a day. (This prolific egg production was shocking in light of earlier experiences with the Baiisa population. That fish produced at most 1 or 2 eggs per week) The largest spawns were observed the day after a large feeding of meaty foods, especially baby brine shrimp. Spawning occurred most often in the morning and just before the lights went out at night. The eggs were well hidden within 3 inches of the top or bottom of the mop in classic switch-spawner fashion. The eggs measured approximately 1/8 inch in diameter and were clear to light amber in color.

Each night, the mop was pulled, squeezed lightly and the eggs were hand picked and placed in a shallow bowl with about 3/4 inch of water to incubate. The eggs were quite tough and the few that were crushed in handling were either unfertilized or just laid. Non-viable eggs were attacked by fungus as noted by a change in color to white. These eggs were removed with an eyedropper as soon as they were seen. Small water changes were made every few days using water from the parents' tank.

Over the next two weeks, the eggs gradually darkened and the eyes became visible. Hatching occurred at 14-16 days at 74 degrees. All fry were moved to a separate rearing bowl by eyedropper as they appeared. The fry were approximately 3/16 of an inch in length at hatching, and possessed little or no yolk sac. The fry were free-swimming almost immediately and could take microworms and baby brine shrimp without difficulty. Uneaten food was removed daily by eyedropper and small water changes were well tolerated by the fry.

The fry were extremely hardy and virtually no losses were experienced. Well-fed on a variety of foods they reached ½ inch at 3 weeks and 1 inch in 5 weeks. No sibling cannibalism was observed, so it wasn't necessary to separate them by size.

All told, Fundulopanchax gardneri is a beautiful, easy to keep killifish that is well-suited for any aquarist who wants to try breeding fish.