Help a gal brand new to Killifish out!

[Essjay]

I've never kept killifish and know next to nothing about them. The person who was the expert left the forum several years ago.

@Back in the fold started keeping killifish recently and I think he found a lot of useful info on the American killifish association website.

 

[JuiceBox52]

@Colin_T can help too

 

[dmpfishlover]

There is another thread in New to the Hobby which ended discussing killifish, then this killi-specific thread was started here

Ok, phew.... I thougt I was losing my mind (which is still a real possibility I guess!)

 

[aryan09014]

Hi, killifish are primarily top dwelling fish, so as long as you dont keep any top dwelling fish in the tank you should be fine, Cory's are bottom fish so they should suit eachother well.killifish are primarily carnivores, so anything that can fit in there mouth will be considered food, as long as your cories are big enough not to be eaten they should be fine. Killis are relatively hardy, and the reason they have short lifespans is because in the wild they live in puddles/bodies of water that dry up as time goes on, so they breed and die quick, males are more colourful than females ,also different types of killis have different temperaments, however generally as a whole the are considered peacefull, dont keep males together, they will fight, it's best to either keep a pair , or all females

 

[aryan09014]

I'm not willing to change to sand, plants need the fluval to grow the way I want. I'll not get corys then. Any other fish that go well with killifish, or should I stick with just a few snails? I was thinking 9-10 killifish in a tank. Currently looking at Golden Wonder since my local fish store has them.

While it is true that sand is best and recommended for corydoras, its possible to have it with gravel, so long as it is not very rough around the edges I've pulled it off and many others have as well, your stratum substrate has
smooth sided gravel, so they shouldnt damage there barbells, imo I think youll be fine with cories

 

[newmag1659]

While it is true that sand is best and recommended for corydoras, its possible to have it with gravel, so long as it is not very rough around the edges I've pulled it off and many others have as well, your stratum substrate gas smooth sided gravel, so the course shoukdbt damage there barbells, imo I think took be fine with cories

that’s what I was thinking -Fluval is very smooth. For the killifish, do they still live only 6-9 months in captivity, or is that only in the wild? Also, how many should I keep in a 10 gallon?

 

[aryan09014]

that’s what I was thinking -Fluval is very smooth. For the killifish, do they still live only 6-9 months in captivity, or is that only in the wild? Also, how many should I keep in a 10 gallon?

Well yes, not 6 months, with proper care they could live for at least over 1 year, also, I cant really say unless I know what type of killis you plan on getting, they vary in size wildly, eg the clown killi gets 1 inch max whereas the golden killi gets 4 inches , so plz say the type of killi u want so I can help

 

[newmag1659]

Well yes, not 6 months, with proper care they could live for at least over 1 year, also, I cant really say unless I know what type of killis you plan on getting, they vary in size wildly, eg the clown killi gets 1 inch max whereas the golden killi gets 4 inches , so plz say the type of killi u want so I can help

That’s the thing - I’m not sure which species to get. My local pet store only has golden wonders, but I think if they get 4 inches that’s too large for a 10 gallon. I want a species that is colorful/pretty to look at, but that’s gonna fit in my tank.

 

[aryan09014]

That’s the thing - I’m not sure which species to get. My local pet store only has golden wonders, but I think if they get 4 inches that’s too large for a 10 gallon. I want a species that is colorful/pretty to look at, but that’s gonna fit in my tank.

If u plan on getting golden wonders, then I recommend only getting 1 pair, that's a male and a female, luckily the other fishes are cories, which live in a different tank area, so they should be good, if u had any other sort of killi, eg clown killis, I would say abt 4-6 would be a good number, obviously more females than males golden wonder dont really have all that much colour compared to some of the other choices out there imo, so maybe if u want more coloration then go to another lfs? And have u considered ordering online? Another thing is that golden wonder killifish are one of the most hardy killifish.

 

[JuiceBox52]

If u plan on getting golden wonders, then I recommend only getting 1 pair, that's a male and a female, luckily the other fishes are cories, which live in a different tank area, so they should be good, if u had any other sort of killi, eg clown killis, I would say abt 4-6 would be a good number, obviously more females than males golden wonder dont really have all that much colour compared to some of the other choices out there imo, so maybe if u want more coloration then go to another lfs? And have u considered ordering online? Another thing is that golden wonder killifish are one of the most hardy killifish.

This tank is too small for golden wonders, even if theres only 1 or 2

 

[aryan09014]

This tank is too small for golden wonders, even if theres only 1 or 2

Rlly? I thought as there is no other top dwelling fish the golden should be fine, so long as you stay on top of the bio load and maintain your water changes, but obviously the bigger the better.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Rlly? I thought as there is no other top dwelling fish the golden should be fine, so long as you stay on top of the bio load and maintain your water changes, but obviously the bigger the better.

Minimum is 20 gallons

 

[newmag1659]

If u plan on getting golden wonders, then I recommend only getting 1 pair, that's a male and a female, luckily the other fishes are cories, which live in a different tank area, so they should be good, if u had any other sort of killi, eg clown killis, I would say abt 4-6 would be a good number, obviously more females than males golden wonder dont really have all that much colour compared to some of the other choices out there imo, so maybe if u want more coloration then go to another lfs? And have u considered ordering online? Another thing is that golden wonder killifish are one of the most hardy killifish.

what about blue lyretails, rachovi killifish, cape Lopez lyretail, Gardneri’s killifish, or black pearl killifish?

 

[aryan09014]

what about blue lyretails, rachovi killifish, cape Lopez lyretail, Gardneri’s killifish, or black pearl killifish?

The red striped killifish Is an excellent hardy and small fish that will only grow abt 2 inches, you can get a male and female,the same applies with gardeners, easy, undemanding, and gets up to 2.5 inches, so slightly larger as for the rachovii, they require specialist care as they are really hard to wean on flake food, usually they will refuse it., and they typically only live for 6-12 months, whereas the aforementioned killis live for 1-2 years , imo, rachovii shouldnt be kept in the standard community and only in a species only tank, as for the lyre tail killis they are perfect, only getting around 2 inches, peacefull fish and will most likely accept flake due to it being farm bred, they are a bit shy so keep that in mind and like all killis prefer a planted aquarium

 

[newmag1659]

The red striped killifish Is an excellent hardy and small fish that will only grow abt 2 inches, you can get a male and female,the same applies with gardeners, easy, undemanding, and gets up to 2.5 inches, so slightly larger as for the rachovii, they require specialist care as they are really hard to wean on flake food, usually they will refuse it., and they typically only live for 6-12 months, whereas the aforementioned killis live for 1-2 years , imo, rachovii shouldnt be kept in the standard community and in a species only tank, as for the lyre tail killis they are perfect, only getting around 2 inches, peacefull fish and will most likely accept flake due to it being farm bred, they are a bit shy so keep that in mind and like all killis prefer a planted aquarium

Ok! I’m leaning towards the gardneri but, yes, my tank will be heavily planted! Could I do 2 females and 1 male?