Sustrate Spawners II: Killifish

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Sustrate Spawners II Killifish

• Mops and Peat

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Introduction

• Our last group of spawners use some unusual
  techiques to reproduce.
• Mop spawners and peat spawners rely on heavy
  substrate to protect eggs, keep temperature
  correct and provide suitable water quality.
• Killifish our our number one group here, although
  Corys are popular too.

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Mop Spawners General

• Mainly comprised of Killifish, these fish lay
  their eggs in mops made of synthetic yarn, or in
  plants.
• The goal seams to be to hide the eggs.
• Included in this group
• Aphyosemion
• Aplocheilus
• Epiplatys
• Rivukus
• Simposonichthys

Aphyosemion amieti
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How are they special?

• What makes these fish different from the egg lay
  scatterers is that their eggs are harder and
  larger, and fecudity is reduced to 20 -30 a day.
• Corydoras catfish also seem to fit in this group
  in method, although they lay many more eggs.
• Typically, they will attach their
• eggs to anything in the tank
• including the mop.

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Tank Setup Corys

• Hang several mops, add a sponge filter and a
  heater if needed.
• Add a pair of fish.
• The female will lay the eggs deep in the mop or
  the plant/male fertilizes them.

Corydoras sterbai
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Careful!

• Sometimes they will turn right around and eat
  them.
• Another difference with Corydoras is that the
  female may take sperm into her mouth and
  fertilizes the eggs which she is clutching in her
  pectoral fins, while sticking it on the preferred
  surface!
• How sneaky!

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Care is Essential

• You must pick the eggs out of the mop daily.
• Place them into a small container with
  anti-fungals added (methylene blue or
  acriflavin).
• Store the eggs in a darker place (warmth doesnt
  hurt.)
• They will incubate for 14-21 days for killies and
  7-10 days for rainbows.
• Fry can be transferred upon hatching.
• JAVA moss for hiding places.
• Most mop fry eat artemia first

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Peat Spawners
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Introduction

• This group is made up entirely of Killifish.
  Cynolebias, Pterolebias, Nothobranchus and
  Fundulopanchax.
• These are the fish we hear referred to "true
  annual" killies.

Cynolebias nigripinnis
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How it works

• In the wild, they have adapted to life in
  correlation with the rainy seasons.
• They hatch, grow and spawn before the next dry
  season comes along, during which their watery
  world as they know it dries up and they die.
• The eggs are able to survive in this drying
  period (months, or sometimes years.)
• When the next rainy season comes along life
  anew.

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Tank Setup

• Set up a 5 gallon tank for a trio of  fish.
• In it should be a bowl that contains about 2" of
  peat moss. Available at most home centers.
• Sometimes a bubbling
• sponge filter and some
• plants or a mop
• for the female to hide in
• will help.

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Spawning Action

• Feed the fish well, but away from the spawning
  container.
• The male will display himself above the peat
  moss.
• When the female is interested in spawning she
  will approach male.
• They will enter peat, she lays a few eggs and he
  fertilizes them. (This continues several times a
  daily for many days.)

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Spawning continued

• Fresh peat is needed about once per week.
• The old peat is gently squeezed and placed into
  some newspaper, lightly covered with a plastic
  bag overnight.
• The dried peat is stored in a zipped sandwich
  bag, in a dark place at a correct temperature.

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How Long to Wait?

• Check the charts in the killifish books for
  temperature and drying /incubation time. (Its
  species specific.)
• It can take weeks, or months, maybe years
• Incorrect temperatures can cause poorly developed
  fry or low hatching rates.

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At Last

• When it is time to hatch the fry, the parents are
  most likely dead. (Bummer!)
• Wet the peat, then submerge it in a couple inches
  of water in a plastic shoe box.
• Cover lightly to shade the eggs.
• With in a few hours, fry can be seen popping up
  over the layer of peat.

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Are we done?

• Remove them with a pipette and put into another
  shoebox with a few inches of water and some peat
  moss or a floating plant.
• After about 24 hours, the peat can be re-dried
  for another two weeks.
• Try to hatch more fry. This can be repeated 1-2
  more times. Feed fry often and well.
• Because these fish live such short lives, they
  grow quickly.