Killifish And Rainbows

[festo]

Hi evryone
i need some sound advice on the chances of killifish and rainbow fish
sharing the same tank,have read on other forums of these being together,
what are the+ and- of these sharing a tank,
i know rainbow fish are quite adaptable to different water parameters
so thinking maybe would be ok,
your thoughts please
thanks.

 

[BigC]

Would be fine in a neutral pH and a moderately hard environment. (depending on killifish you were looking at keeping).
You'll need a little added salt (cooking salt)for the Rainbows.
This set-up is fine for an everyday maintaining of the two genera, breeding would of course be a different matter.
Regards
C

 

[festo]

ok thanks,
but could you suggest what type of rainbows and killifish,
also what type of clean up fish.
i thought you could only use aquarium salt?

 

[BigC]

Nah, Aquarium salt is pretty much a gimmick, at least to me. I have always used Cooking Salt (not table salt) for my fish for over 30 years.
On the recommendation of aquarists from days gone by LOL.

Depends what you are trying to achieve here.
I would always advocate filling all the water layers.
Top, middle and bottom.

The mid ground would be your Rainbows (I always liked Melanotaenia boesemani which I have bred on several occasions)
and the bottom I would suggest A shoal of Corydoras, possibly C. sterbi
That only leaves the top for the Killifish. Most Killifish will not stay at the surface except panchax types.
If you have no small tetras in your tank then I would go for Aplochelius species, if you have smaller species of fish then look for Epiplatys species for this role.
They are not the most colourful but would contrast with the rainbows
Regards
C

 

[festo]

Great replies,
what type of rocks and plants would you suggest,
essy to take care of plants with little maintenance,
i have been looking at rocks on internet,the ones i like are
texas holy rock
lava rock
spaghetti rock
i am in the west midlands so any idea where i could purchase these
rocks from,
i have looked but cannot seem to find any
thanks.

 

[BigC]

Hmmmm,
I only ever use bogwood to be honest but that's not to say you cannot use rock.
Plants are a hard thing to quantify, I have set up planted aquaria in the past and various aspects need to be addressed to grow them properly.
Even if you are not whole heartedly going into planted aquaria at this present moment in time it would still pay you to lay a good substrate from the outset.
Obtain a large bag of fine gravel (not standard pea gravel) Sand is too compact and will crush the root structure and Pea gravel is too open.
Mix enough unwashed fine gravel with a substrate additive such as JBL Florapol (available off the net) and place a layer of this to a depth of around 35mm on the base of your tank. Then cover this with a 40mm layer of well washed fine gravel. This will give your plants the start they need. Then you have the options to add other things such as specific lighting, CO2 etc as and when you wish.
The best idiot proof plant I found is Hygrophilia polysperma & Cryptocornes. Steer clear of red colouration in plants and fine leaved varieties such a Cabomba and these are much harder to grow.
You might want to check out our Planted forum section for more information on planted aquaria.

A good dedicated aquarist shop will supply all manner of rock and wood types for the aquarium.
Just do a search, Practical Fishkeeping store locator on their site is a good tool.

Regards
C