# Michiana Aquarium Soceity Killie Karnival 2009!



## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

Well, folks, it's about that time again.
The Michiana Aquarium Society presents Killifish Karnival 2009 on Feb. 28th and March 1st. Location is still the Bennigan's/Ramada Inn just off Exit 92 of the 80/90 Indiana toll road. 
The show speaker will be Art Leuterman, and we will also have a presentation by Ray "Kingfish" Lucas. Box sales, New and Rare Chinese raffle, show/judging, awards party and programs are all on Saturday. Sunday will conclude the festivities with the Kingfish dry-goods auction then the Killifish/plants/supplies auction. 

Not going to make it? No problem, we love getting mail-ins. Want to prove you can ship in winter? Here's your chance! And even if you only have a few pairs of fish, that's fine. I dont care if I have to judge a 45-pair F. gardneri class, I'll be psyched that the show will be good sized. 

Interested? Email or PM me for an e-flyer. Or if you're an AKA member, check your latest BNL for more information, including a mail-in address. 

Last year we had a pretty good showing of online forum folks, and I hope we can keep up with that trend. I look forward to seeing/meeting some new folks at the show!

-Gary
KK '09 co-chair


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Hey! I have been told your the man to talk to about killies? I am setting up a 40 gallon and plan to add 3 (1 male and 2 females) not for breeding purposes, just because they look awesome and I think they would be a great addition to my new tank! I cant find them in my area as of yet and was wondering if you had any advice for me? I have contacted my local aquarium society but will be on vaca. when they meet this month. Is it ok to email the contact guy and see if any of them members sell them before I drop $60.00 on shipping? Also, are the yellow Gardneri killies very common... I have kind of fallen in love with them


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

How would I got about finding something of this sorts in Texas around were I live?


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## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

Itwuz: Texas has the affiliate club TAKO (Texas Area Killie Organization). http://www.tako.daelarue.com/Home.html <-- that's their website.
Laura: I have been known to be a killie guy  . I advise you to look at what you like and plan for what species you want to get. In a 40 gallon, I wouldn't do clown killies--you'll never see them (unless you have like 15+). A trio of any of the Fundulopanchax species (gardneri, blue gularis, etc) would be decent additions. Also, most of the Epiplatys would be cool, too. They're more surface-oriented fish, which leads them to be more adept at eating flake food. Common gold wonder killies are an option, but are more nippy than most killies. Killies tend to be a bit nippy on things like guppies and slow-moving fish, but they can be community tank fish if kept with more agile tankmates.
Definitely try for locally bred fish. That's usually your best bet for healthy fish. Also, think about joining the AKA (www.aka.org) and you can get in touch with lots of breeders around the country, many of whom will ship to you via priority mail and only cost you 10-15 bucks. And I know you say you're not trying to breed, but odds are the fish will want to. Throw a spawning mop in and see what happens. I liked the way killies looked when I started into them, then I started picking eggs out of mops...and never looked back. Truly one of the rewards of fishkeeping is getting to handle the eggs and watch the little ones develop and grow.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

ok... what is a mop? I have read that with the killie eggs you need to take them out for like 2 weeks and keep them mildly damp or something and then place them back in the tank when you can see the little fry inside the egg. I am sure that when any of my fishies start spawning I will feel differently than I do about it now 
Thanks for all the info!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

search for killie mop on the web. Its basically yarn around a styrofoam ball (so it will float). Some killie eggs need to dry out, others don't. F. garneri eggs will hatch even if you leave them in the tank.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

does the mop stay in the tank until the eggs attach to it? I have seen those little net breeders that hang on the tank near the surface, can you pick the eggs out of the mop (or put the entire mop) in there and let them do their thing?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Either way. You can pick eggs off the mop or just switch it with another mop. I don't see any reason the net breeder thing wouldn't work unless the fry just plain escape it.


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## fishboy23 (Feb 18, 2006)

I was curious to see the response to my mentioning mops...
Mops really are simple, just use some dark-colored acrylic yarn (NOT WOOL!) and wrap it around a book a whole bunch of times, cut one end and tie the other (either onto a styrofoam ball or just tie it off, it will then sink). I just found this, so I'm not going to continue trying to type out instructions, this has pics and says it all: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Leong_Spawning_Mop.html it may not be necessary to boil the yarn, but a good rinse is needed. 
Some killies are "annual" some are not. "Annual" fish live in seasonal ponds where their habitat dries up. These are the fish whose eggs need to be dried out and incubated. Most of the common killies in the hobby are non-annuals, (or can be treated as such) and their eggs are simply picked from mops and allowed to incubate away from the hungry parents. 
So you have your trio of we'll say gardneri, in the 40 gallon tank. Make your mop, and drop it in (no need for styrofoam, they like bottom mops, not floating mops). The fish will do what they do (gardneri really like to lay LOTS of eggs!) and you then take out the mop, squeeze it so it's just damp (you wont crush the good eggs unless they're really freshly laid) and pick the eggs out with your fingers (clean hands help). You can put the eggs in a breeder net, provided the mesh is small enough. The eggs are pretty big, you can see them pretty easily in the mop. Eggs hatch in anywhere from 2 weeks to 5 or 6, depending on species and temperature, gardneri fit the "standard" idea of about 3 weeks at most temps. Fry of most non-annuals can take baby brine shrimp upon hatching.
Hope that helps.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Thanks! I googled "killi mops" as recommended and found the same instructions. At least this way I will know what to do when the time comes! I have a couple of feelers out in the area for the killies and will see how that goes. If it doesnt go well I will probably end up joining the aka. I found a yellow variety of the gardneri on uncleneds site and am trying to convince the nice man not to make me buy $150 worth of stuff!!!
Thanks again~


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