Aggressive Killie

[caseSENSITIVE]

I was recently given a pair of killies - my first. I don't remember its scientific name: something gardneri (help?). I was told that they are peaceful so I added them to my planted tank. The next morning, the aquarium is littered with cherry shrimp carcasses, the C. japonica are all hiding, and some of the fish have fins all tattered.

The pair is now isolated in a breeding net until I have figured out what to do. Are killies this aggressive? Is my only option a species tank? I personally don't have the time to setup/maintain another planted tank. I don't understand non-planted tanks, so...are there any small peaceful killies?

Thank you.

[stormhawk]

That should be Fundulopanchax gardneri that you have there. Adult gardneri are aggressive in some ways and will prey on shrimp should you have any in there. In this case the cherry shrimp carcasses and the apparent fear of the Amano shrimp is evident of the gardneri's effect on your invertebrate population. They should do fine in a small species tank but certainly not suited for a tank that has invertebrates.

Small peaceful killies suited for life in a planted tank would be the lampeyes (Poropanchax spp.) and the clown killie (Pseudepiplatys annulatus). :wink:

[TyroneGenade]

There are also other small Aphyosemion such as hera and zygamia which would do OK with the larger inverts.

In general Killies will eat whatever they can stuff down their throats. The local SA Caradina sp. aff. africana that I had didn't stand up well to the Chromaphyosemion poliaki and they don't get nearly as big as the Fp. gardneri.

tt4n

[RonWill]

P-lvp,
It isn't just GARs that love fresh shrimps. I received a pair of Simp magnificus and they have been feasting on Cherry shrimplets that slips through the tank partition. On a brighter note, shrimplets make excellent conditioning food and the MAGs are coloring up very nicely.

ANNs, too, will prey on any tasty morsels that fit the mouth but not as aggressive hunters as the Golden Killie (as are adult GARs).

One observation. If juvenile GARs were maintained in a tank with shrimps as large as them, these GARs will come to regard them as tank-mates, not food. Of course, YMMV.

If you're interested in more peaceful killies, can I send you some juvenile Aplochelius kirchmayeri (Goa Killie) or Ps annulatus? :wink: [these swimming 'eggs' travel quite well if properly packed]