# Nothobranchius Korthausae killi questions



## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

So I ordered these, all in egg form from that bff thing I posted in the general fish forum. Assuming the eggs actually hatch how should i raise and care for these in the future. I have looked up info on the net but it is all very basic info. Can't find much in the way of breeding and general care, what they prefer to eat, and what makes good tank mates for them. Also this I really doubt I will ever find, but can these be placed with african dwarf frogs? They will be in a 46 gallon tank when they are big enough. Well actually will they be in the 46 just in a breeder net until they are big enough to not be eaten.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

There isn't a maximum tank size. I mean, think about wild bodies of water. But some fish do like certain depths of water and get uncomfortable if they can't stay in shallow water. A "dimensional" background that has ledges usually is good enough. I have no clue about the frog. The web said "prefers live food". I haven't kept that fish, but I feed killies baby brine shrimp and microworms when they are little, daphnia, live blackworms, frozen bloodworms and whiteworms. In the wild, fish whose eggs need to get dry before hatching usually live in shallow water and eat things like insects, daphnia, insect larva, frog eggs. Stuff that falls in the water is usually eaten by fish with their mouth high on their nose. Some also eat seeds and plants, but usually a high protein diet like a betta's works. Fishbase (it's a wiki, so don't take it as the ultimate authority) says soft, acid, warm (23-26C) water. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=9859

bottom peat spawners can be sometimes be spawned in little jars with peat in them (like in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FvACOOX6s) or film canisters.


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## snowangel523 (Sep 25, 2010)

Hey Dan3345,
Can you tell me how your experience with the myBFF kit went? Any pointers? I got it as a gift and have been trying to do research ahead of time to increase my chances of success, but there really isn't a whole lot of info on Nothobranchius Korthausae, specifically, to be found. Also, do the killifish fry eat frozen brine shrimp? Or does it have to be freshly hatched brine shrimp? I am worried about things I've read online about hatching brine shrimp being a delicate science.

Any info is much appreciated!

Thanks!


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## MyBFFish (Jan 3, 2011)

Guys check out this blog for more info on breeding on your killifish 


http://www.growmybestfishfriend.com/category/mybff-2/


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

tell you what folks...scrap the best fish friend idea..they don't care if your fish live or not.
try www.aka.com
that is the site for the American Killifish Association..i have been a member for several years..got my first killies back in 1976..they are an amazing and very interesting little fish..
some nothos are harder to keep than others...76-80 degrees F is fine...they like a good high protein diet..love live foods ; but will gladly take frozen..can also be conditioned to take some dry foods..

look for other killifish sites as well...


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## AvocadoPuffDude (Jan 20, 2011)

sorry but aka.com is some media website, not the Kilifish of America......


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You want .org http://www.aka.org/


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I've got some korthausae eggs to hatch myself. I'm going to get their food cultures going first, though.


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

(sorry for reviving a 20-day-old thread)

So let me get this straight... you order this BFF thing, and you get a pouch of killifish eggs? Specifically the Nothobranchius Korthausae species? Is it JUST that particular killi? I can't seem to find on the sight where it claims what fish is to hatch from the pouch. I'm actually really interested in trying this as a sort of experiment... I used to love these sorts of things when I was little.

Like the "Planet Frog" kit, "Sea Monkies" or the hatchery kit for Triops... last one being my favorite of the three.

Granted, if it worked, I would NOT be putting those poor fish into a fishbowl of all things...

EDIT:

Never mind, I found that particular page. They are cute fish, though...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Get eggs from aquabid and a description of how to hatch and care for them from a breeder. The problem with all the kits is that you don't know how long they have been sitting or in what conditions. 

The smallest killies are one of the few fish that can be kept well in large (1-3 gallon) fish bowls. I would add a small sponge filter and some java moss.


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

But what if you end up with an odd number of females to males? Like say, two males and one female? Wouldn't the males fight? Do the females fight with each other? I heard/read around that killi's will become pretty aggressive when spawning, but I'm not sure if it's just with other fish or with their own kind, too.

If I _were_ to hatch killi eggs from Aquabid or something, what are some of the smaller species? ...And just how small _are_ they? xD


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Some are teeny-tiny, only an inch or so long, while some can exceed 8 inches in length! Killies are a large & diverse group. Most of them fall in the 2-to-2.5 inch range. Some are vicious little beasties, and some are very docile. It's hard to pin down any generalities with this group.
You probably will indeed get a lopsided gender mix. All you can do is take out the extra odd fish, or otherwise keep only one pair per tank for safety's sake. Some species get along just fine in groups, though.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

My gardneri will only tolerate 1 male in a small container, but you can put a mixed group in 10 gallon. Look for a local breeder, someone you can talk to. I like killies a lot, but am pretty new to them and only have 'beginner' fish like F. gardneri.


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

Wow, 8 inches? Well, this just confirmed that I'll definitely need to do a lot of researching. I thought all killi's didn't exceed the 3-4in range... 

I checked around on that myBFF fish kit, and it looks to be even more of a scam than I thought it would be. Not a lot of happy reviewers, it seems. Though honestly I don't think I'd go through with actually buying the kit and hoping that at least 1 of the 10 eggs would hatch, when I could get 50+ eggs and be ensured that some _will_ hatch. Although I don't know what I'd do if I had 50+ killi's to take care of... yikes.

Maybe raising killifish is something I should consider in the future, and push the thought aside for now. It would kill me if I had to destroy all the 'extras' just because I don't have the room, and the LFS probably wouldn't take them.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

call and ask. my lfs has a demand for killies from the planted tank people and will take what i can bring. it helps that you could likely raise 50 1' killes in 20 gallon tank. Or wait until summer and try them out of doors.


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

I think I will end up waiting for summer to try it. I can't breed any fish outdoors at the bf's place, since he lives in an apartment and the space below his is being occupied by someone. Maybe I can convince my parents to let me house a few large totes with killi's in them in the summer... with a tarp to cover them when it rains and at night or something. 

Is that cruel to do? I know a lot of people do this sort of thing in kiddie pools and metal water troughs, but plastic totes? I could add sponge filters and easily change the water since the hose would be right nearby (luckily for me, water from the tap at the parents place is good). I think I'd start indoors until they began to spawn... then move outdoors when I run out of room. 

I could probably even auction them off on Aquabid if I really wanted to -- I'd just have to learn how to do all that. Get the supplies for shipping, figure out where to even _begin_ shipping live fish... etc... I've never even shipped a package with dried goods before.

Anyway...

Does anyone know some of the much smaller types of killi that I could maybe find around online for sale? 

Fundulopanchax gardneri seems to be one of the smaller ones -- about 2 1/2 inches once fully grown, but is there something smaller? I love all types of fish, so if they're a little on the dull side, that's not really a problem. But the flashier colors would probably sell better...


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Im not sure if the person who asked saw my other posts on the matter, but I would not recommend to anyone for any reason to order the my bff or anything from the people that sell it. Unless more info is actually needed because you cant find my older post (which is fine) I dont want to go into much detail.


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