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Thread: Aplocheilichthys spilauchen

  1. #1
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    Aplocheilichthys spilauchen

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    I went to a nearby city and found these available. They were listed as "Banded Lampeye". Now I have four of them at home in a quarantine tank. After searching the net and doing some research, I discovered that they are Aplocheilichthys spilauchen. The fish prefers a little salt in the water and it is prone to velvet- a disease that I am not familiar with.

    They are very active which makes it difficult to capture a decent photo. Until then, here is a page with a picture on it:
    http://www.killifish.force9.co.uk/Ki...spilauchen.htm
    -Mark Mendoza

  2. #2
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    Lucky you Velvet is just fungus, white fluffy stuff which can be tackled with quite standard medication.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by hwchoy
    Lucky you Velvet is just fungus, white fluffy stuff...
    Choy, please don't under-estimate the damage that velvet can inflict. In my early journey as a killie-keeper, I lost my entire collection of Nothobranchius and never recovered from it. Even today, I continue to receive news of fellow hobbyists losing fishes to this dreaded 'V' word!

    In this page, it states, "Of all common fish ailments, velvet is the most difficult to diagnose and is often confused with ich, but the velvet cysts are considerably smaller and yellower: and upon close examination are gently moving. Velvet is fatal to young fish and must be treated immediately. Adults carry it without showing distress, but if used for breeding the fry will perish from the disease".

    BTW, Velvet is more associated with parasites than fungus, and blessed is the hobbyist who doesn't get Velvet in his tanks!

    Mark, I looked up the spilauchen and Tony's wild-caught is one helluva looker but... "found in brackish lagoons & brackish mangrove swamps!" Too bad, as most of my tanks tend to be acidic or can these buggers be acclimatized readily to our waters?
    I'm back & keeping 'em fingers wet,
    Ronnie Lee

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    arrhhh! the "Lucky you" was meant for Mark having bagged such nice fishes
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Ron, I believe they can be acclimatised to our conditions, since the fresh tap water coming out of your mains is slightly around pH 7.6 I think, the last time we measured it at your placed with the pH pen.

    Shouldn't be a problem if you don't add ketapang leaves or acid extracts. I believe over time the successive generations can be acclimatised to acidic conditions, provided they were raised in such conditions.
    Fish.. Simply Irresistable
    Back to Killies... slowly.

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    Thank you for the information on velvet disease, I will do a bit more research so I can identify it if ever arises in my tanks.

    Ronnie, from the reports/articles that I have read, they can be acclimated to softer waters. The ph in my water ranges from 7-8 and they are doing fine. There are very few articles on the internet so I do not have much to base my assumptions on. But the articles have mentioned the importance of salt in fighting skin parasites/diseases and to induce spawning. They may also be able to tolerate fluctuations in hardness.

    The four I have are fairly close to the maximum size listed at Fishbase. I am going to try to breed them in the next few weeks. It looks like I possibly have two males and two females. I will have to try my luck with regular aquarium salt(not marine) for now.
    -Mark Mendoza

  7. #7
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    Mark,

    I don't think you have to worry about Velvet disease. If your fish were to succumb to a parasite, more likely it will be a white spot parasite aka Ichthyophthirius or Ich in short.

    For some strange reason, most fish never get Velvet even if you put them into a tank that has fish in the advanced stages of this disease. As far as I know, only Nothobranchius and Bettas are susceptible to Velvet disease. Other fish get Ich.

    Both Ich and Velvet are caused by parasites and they are always in your tank, in small numbers. Ich is easier to treat and in some instances, it will go away even when no medication is added.

    Loh K L

  8. #8
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    I lost the password to my website so can't upload things there anymore . I uploaded my only two good pictures of them into the public gallery. The bands did not show up very well and picture is slightly distorted because the fish were in a glass jar during the photo.


    The bigger male within the photo has a bent spine, it must be quite old.


    They are active and friendly fish. So far they were in quarantine for two weeks and now I they are in my 65g. It will be easier to feed them there until I can get a tank set up for them.

    Mod's Note: Image URL edited 040723
    Slaigar's album here
    -Mark Mendoza

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    Well, after a 3 week long battle with ich, the fish are back to normal. I did lose one of my males though. The remaining three fish are in a 20g with a lot of salt(just regular salt, not marine) in it... I did not feel like counting so I just pretty much poured a lot straight from the bag. There are bunches of H. polysperma floating and a sponge filter in the tank.

    Hopefully the females are mature enough so I can try to breed them. They are all pretty skittish, so feeding them is quite a hassel when they all hide when my hand appears over the tank.
    -Mark Mendoza

  10. #10
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    To spawn these fish construct long mops and then tie the mop strands together several places along its length. Raise the temperature to about 25oC and feed generously with blood worm. Supply the fish with good lighting.

    Salt to a concentration of 1tsp/gallon seems to work.

    Check the mops daily. When the mop is full of eggs move it to a hatching container.

    Good luck. They are super fish that are perfect for community tanks. They also do not NEED salt and can be kept in planted tanks too.

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