Austrolebias nigripinnis advice

[sbobbie]

Hi everyone

Just bought what I think is Austrolebias nigripinnis from c328 recently. Read that this species prefers colder water, so was wondering if the killifish experts here can share any information on how well this species fare locally without additional chilling? Thanks in advance!

Cheers
sbobbie

[stormhawk]

As far as I know, C328 does not stock Austrolebias nigripinnis. I have seen specimens of Austrolebias affinis however, but they are usually all males. Could you take a photo of your fish? Keeping them cool here basically means keeping the temperature down, say around 26 degrees Celsius if you can. Their eggs will require a cooler phase during incubation, so for a few weeks they have to be kept in the fridge (not freezer) in a small styrofoam box. They are not recommended for our tropical climate as their metabolism increases with the temperature, so you have to keep them constantly well-fed with foods like frozen bloodworm and such. Because their activity increases in our climate, their lifespan is shorter as well.

[sbobbie]

Thanks for the advice! How long is their average lifespan in our climate? I've attached a picture of the fish I bought; would appreciate any advise on its identification. Thanks in advance!