Found newly born Clown Killie, Pseudepiplatys annulatus

[Merviso]

Thanks, johannes, the dad & mum are the ones doing all the work, while i'm only adding water everyday...


Hi DanNiErSi, don't envy me, you will have your chance very soon. Just make sure you get the tank really for just the Clown Killie, use sponge filter for the filter inlet to prevent the fries from being suck into the filter, and try to maintain the ph to be very low. I have not been testing my water parameters, but my guess is should be around 5. I will try to check it tonight.

[Merviso]

Hi DanNiErSi, I have just checked on the PH for the tank with Tetra Test PH and the result shows PH 5 or even lower since that's the lowest the result can go.

The Clown Killies are all doing quite well in this setup and so I think the low PH goes well with them. I'm using ADA Amazon Type I soil, with a piece of kepatang leaf inside that never seems to breakdown even after 2 months inside the tank. Hope your tank will be ready soon...

[DanNiErSi]

Hope your tank will be ready soon...

not to worry i already having tank cycled for it just wondering where to get them only

[stormhawk]

Merviso, great job with the Clown Killie. They are very fragile fellas. The pH you mentioned seems just about right. It is most likely the triggering factor that ensures your adults keep spawning all the time. If you have floating plants, look at the roots, it's difficult to spot the tiny eggs, but not impossible.

You are the 2nd person I know of, locally, who has bred and successfully raised Clown Killie fry to maturity. The ones that normally arrive at the LFS are easily stressed, and die soon after, so actually managing to get yours to breed is an achievement you should be proud of.

[Merviso]

Hi stormhawk, thanks for your kind words... I was just being lucky...

I actually had the impression that spawning them should be quite common, since I never really do much for them except leaving them alone.. Up still now, I never changed any water, just top up every few days, and I had not wash the Eden filter and the sponge in the inlet.. Now, the algae and duck weeds are really getting out-of-hand in the tank..

[stormhawk]

My pleasure. It is a good thing to successfully breed the Clown Killie. They are too fragile when first purchased from the LFS, very seldom do they live beyond a week, unless they are healthy in the beginning. Most of the time they are badly stressed and starving in the LFS, especially if they're put into a crowded stocking tank.

The algae and duckweed probably makes them happy. Maybe just add some snails to deal with the algae? You can just harvest the duckweed by scooping, but in doing so you might lose some eggs laid amongst the duckweed roots.

The eggs are really tiny, that it takes some time to notice them on the roots. Sometimes leaving them alone is the trick haha. You definitely got lucky, but at least you got the babies to a bigger size.

[Merviso]

I do sometimes see the eggs among the moses and leaves of the plants, I did not really check on the duck weeds... Thanks for reminding me...

I'm actually thinking of removing some of the hair algae which is blocking lights to the bottom plants, however, I'm also worried that the fries might be trap inside the algae.

There are some snails inside the tank right from the start. I use them to cycle my tank... but they dun seems to be effective, or maybe the algae is really too much. I'm thinking of maybe adding some Tiger Oto (if I can get them) into the tank and see if they can breed inside too...

[stormhawk]

Good luck with the Tiger Oto, it's a very fragile little species. I tried keeping them in the past. Longest I kept them alive was roughly 2 weeks or so, after that they disappeared from sight. Needless to say, they were so tiny, it was impossible to find a body, since the tank was planted. You might have better luck with all the algae growth.

I trust only Ramshorn Snails with baby fish and eggs. As for removing the algae, I guess you can try and remove some, but I figure you will lose some eggs and some young fry if they're trapped within. Remove carefully then. I guess some deaths cannot be avoided, but as long as you don't stress out the parents and the young ones growing up, it should be a little sacrifice. Hair algae is troublesome anyway, I have to manually remove it whenever it appears, but my baby swordtails love to hang out in the algae.

[Merviso]

I had two Tiger Oto that had been doing very well in another of my planted tank for more than 3 months... However, 2 weeks ago I did a major pruning and replanting, and the next day I noticed that one of them is missing... My conclusion is that is was trapped among the plants that were thrown away... The other Oto starts looking very sad and lonely, and I found it dead the following week... ... It's all my fault...

Hope to get more of them and try to get them to breed. I really love them quite a lot.

[DanNiErSi]

reading about your report on the killies make me more and more itchy hand and more want to keep and try breeding them so badly =)

Keep it up bro =)
all the best in breeding them and i will keep looking for them =)

[taring77]

Hi there bro,
i have a batch of clown killies (about 5-7 mixed male n female) in a 1 foot tank. But i also have a pair of apisto caca. None of them seems to breed do you guys think i should not mix them together. Could the killies be stress by the apisto so they never mate?

[Merviso]

Hi taring77, there might be a few mixed reasons why they mate or do not mate, and frankly it will be difficult to determine all. The easy way is to try setup a known enviroment that they have mated before and hope that things happen.


If you are interested to try breeding them, maybe you can try the following:

-Set up a Clown Killie only tank with some moss, fine leave plants and floating plants
-Cover filter inlet with sponge or use sponge filter
-Keep the ph as low as 5. I use ADA Amazonia I Soil.
-Select 1 of your most active male (I find that with more than 1 male, mating is easily disrupted with the males flaring at each others and female running away) and 3 to 4 female.
-Feed live food and leave them alone.

Good luck to you!

[taring77]

hi Merviso,
thanks for great advise i just bought some floating plants. Yes i agree there are many reasons for them not breeding. just worried that the apisto is stressing the clown killie or eat their egg and same goes for the apisto being stress by clown killie.

[stormhawk]

Chances are the Apisto is stressing your Clown Killies. Remove the clowns and give them their own tank. Do the tank like what Merviso says and be prepared for your very own batch of babies.

[griffinkid]

Awesome and detailed experience! Not to mention high quality macroshots of the clown killie at all stages! So envious!! :P