# possible top swimmers



## tyger_eyes (Mar 11, 2010)

i have a 55 gallon with serpae and beunos aires tetra (12 total, they all shoal together), a pair of kribs, 5 panda cories, and a bn pleco. they all stay near the bottom of the tank and i would like some top swimming fish. my lfs has killifish but if they are as shortlived as i hear, i will be replacing them regularly. or i could try eggs.

anyone here have any experience with hatching the eggs. i see auctions for them all over much cheaper than the actual fish. is this because they are hard to hatch? also what is the average lifespan? i would be interested in N. rachovii and have read anywhere from 8 weeks to 8 months. if i did get an auction of 50 eggs how long before they would no longer be viable? for example if i hatch a few 4-6 at a time so i can constantly have fish at the top of my tank, would i be able to replace them once they die? or would i need to hatch all the eggs at once?

another option is african butterfly fish. my lfs will get some on thurs and suggested them. i was wondering if they will work since they are listed as aggressive on many sites. they also suggested mollies but i really dont like them (bad experiences).

any top swimmer recommendations are welcome (bright colored fish preferred) as well as thoughts on my current options.


----------



## cossie333 (Apr 10, 2010)

u could have a female betta or if u perpoesly want just top swimmers then hatchet fish are a good suggestion


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Hatching eggs isn't difficult, mainly you get the eggs wet, then wait. Annual killiefish eggs from areas where the water dries up have eggs that last a long time. They hard part, depending on the species, is having enough of the right-sized live food for the fry. While bigger killies like F. gardneri on up can take crushed flake, some of the small ones must have tiny food. Infusoria, daphnia, microworms, baby brine shrimp. Not all killie are short-lived. 

My suggestion would be get a fish like F. gardneri whose eggs don't need to dry up and put a lot of dense plants in the tank. If you do that, you will likely have fry "appear" from time to time, enough to keep a colony going for some time. When you order eggs, also order a microworm culture or some brine shrimp eggs.

The fish that need dry eggs are usually a bit harder, but still can be home bred if you read up and follow directions. Usually the breeder who sends you eggs will give you good advice


----------



## Dando (Apr 13, 2010)

***

Hey, You could look into buying some guppy's platy's and swordtails these fish are very active swimming in all sections of the tank they would also add more colour.

Goodluck


----------



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

African Butterflyfish are really not that aggressive. We keep two of them in a tank with two Kribs, (used to be three Rosy Red Tetras), a Leopard Bush Fish, a Clown Pleco, and (also used to be six Harlequin rasboras). 
They are actually pretty chill fish and don't seem to be bothered by much. We lost one harlequin but it was because the Kribs were pissed off and one of the harlequins got too close and BOOM there went his entire back half. 
As long as they have surface plants to hide around/under/in they're fine


----------



## narizina (Mar 17, 2010)

I agree with Dando. All 3 of those species are colorful (with tons of different strains to choose from) and they are truly all over the tank. They are always fun to watch.


----------



## br00tal_dude (Dec 26, 2009)

African Butterflies are beautiful and amazing fish, mine are two of my favorites, they are amazingly beautiful and personable fish. Abe (the male) will swim right to the front of the tank and wait for me to feed him. They never leave the top of the water always hunting and lurking in my floating plants.

They have unique and interesting colors, when mine get hungry they turn pail or kind of two toned with an almost white side and a darker brown camouflaged side. They also have a set of fins under their bodies that extend down with bare rays almost like thin fingers that reach down. 

Mine eat flake, dried blood worms, and they really love live crickets. They like to have floating plants to lurk under, they also thrive in a lower pH. Our water is naturally acidic so I haven't done anything to treat it for them but have been told that peatmoss is a good additive to achieve that lowered pH level (6.2- 6.8)

I hope this info might help you out... I really love my ABF's and if this info helps someone else find that enjoyment then yay =]


----------



## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

I would recommend say 2 african butterflyfish. They don't look their best at the LFS and when in home aquaria, I must say they look the most amazing fish out there. So intelligent and you can even teach them to take food from your hands etc. Just make sure you have a tight cover as they are excellent jumpers spending most of their time on the top of the water.


----------



## tyger_eyes (Mar 11, 2010)

well ill be off to the lfs today. i plan on getting two of the african butterfly fish. i have geckos, so if they like crickets i always have some available.


----------



## DavidAl (Nov 17, 2009)

In addition to what has already been mentioned, some other top dwellers are as follows: pearl danios, clown killifish, four-eyed fish, golden wonder killifish and wrestling halfbeaks. They are not all compatible with your existing fish, though.

David


----------



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Killifish are NOT compatible with African Butterflyfish. They will rip up their tails. We know this firsthand


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Wow, talk about opposites. The clown killie is a shy, pretty, tiny little fish that hides in the plants. The golden wonder is big, pretty, and pretty mean. They will take over the top of a 55 and pick on everything in their range. Gardneri are in the middle, medium sized, active, but only slightly aggressive, mostly toward their own.


----------

