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Hi Garrett,
Kindly read through the Forum Netiquette if you wish to have better response to your questions. Your "Full stop" key seems to be over sensitive because there are many ... within the sentences.
Regards,
Ong Poh San
Hi all,
Recently bought a pair of northobranchius rubripinnis... i m kinda new to killie fishes and i need some help here...
i understand that killiefishes are categorised into annual, non-annual fish... substrate diver, plant spawner and etc.....
however... i have trouble setting up the tank... i had already place a jave fern on driftwood... after reading thru some articles here i understand that killifishes need moss... but... i dun really understand y they need it... can someone explain to me??
erm... oso... my male rubri keeps chasing after the female rubri... i wonder will this bring any harm if the latter doesnt seems to be interested in mating?
Hi Garrett,
Kindly read through the Forum Netiquette if you wish to have better response to your questions. Your "Full stop" key seems to be over sensitive because there are many ... within the sentences.
Regards,
Ong Poh San
Garrett,
Your Killies are annuals. They originate from Africa where during the dry seasons, the ponds dry up completely. The fish die when that happens but their eggs wait in the mud for the rains to fall again. When the pond fills up, the eggs hatch and the fish live again. In nature, it's not so much about the individual but that the species lives on.
When we speak of putting moss into the tanks with Killies, we are referring to peat moss. You can buy them from nurseries and some supermarkets. The most common brand is Horti Moss which gardeners use to grow terrestial plants. Killifish breeders simulate the fish's breeding cycle by putting peat moss into breeding bowls. If the fish are willing, they go into the bowls and lay their eggs in the peat moss. We then collect the peat moss and put it through a dry period, just like the way it is in nature. To learn more, please browse around the web site.
Male Killies are known to harrass the females to death sometimes. If you think your female is being stressed out, separate them for a few days or provide some hiding places in your tank.
Killifish enthusiasts, besides being fussy about how humans address each other, are also particular about how names of Killies are written. Your fish should be Nothobranchius rubripinnis. The latin name should be in italics with the genus name in initial capital. The species name is all in small letters. Forum users who are too lazy to use the shift keys on their keyboards may find this place unfriendly. You can take this as a friendly warning.
Loh K L
Hi Garrett,
1st thing 1st. How did you know that name of the Notho matches the fish? There was a typo, in case you didn't realize it.
Was the tank at the LFS labelled or was it a guess from the various pics available from the net? If it was the latter, do refrain from appending a name to the fishes as there are at least 700 species of killies and it's very easy to make mistakes by matching.
As for the articles mentioning "that killifishes need moss", it could also be java moss. These are used by plant spawners such as Aphyosemion species, to deposit their eggs during spawning, just as Notho species dive into the peat moss. It all depends on the species of killies one is maintaining.
Lastly, we're not snobs or as unfriendly as it initially appears, but observe the rules in the 'sticky posts' and I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay.
I'm back & keeping 'em fingers wet,
Ronnie Lee
Erm, sorry about the "full-stops". i will stop using ... anymore
timebomb, Loh K L,
sorry for not using italics and to all whom i have offended. i have already introduced peat moss into the tank already. however i found out that the female was not really willing yet. the male keeps chasing after the female however the female keeps running away.
RonWill, Ronnie Lee,
erm, when i bought the killifish, the shop owner told me the species was nothobranchius rubripinnis. so i can be sure that my species is nothobranchius rubripinnis after doing some research and finding out that the pics are quite similar and their characteristics are same too.
Erm, i have another question too. when i address u all in this forum, do i use your nicks or real name?
Today, i found something unusual about my male. It keeps idling in a corner and when i took a closer look, i saw 1-2 spots around its dorsal fin and behind its pectoral fins. its that a disease ? i am really sorry that i dun noe such stuff because i am new to killifishes.
Thnx
For Nothobranchius, you need to add some salt to the tank. Nothobranchius rubripinnis is especially prone to velvet. I suggest you change the water and add some salt into the tank.
The males are easy to tell apert from others but not the females! So bne careful when handling more than one species.
For breeding, I usually use a bowl where the peat is placed within. When the fish is ready to breed, they'll eventually find their way into the bowl. Thy way, you can be sure that the peat is clean from uneaten food and fish waste. The eggs of annuals need to go through a dry incubation stage thus you need to collect the peat out of your tank to dry it and store in dark area for around 6 - 8 weeks. Live food is a must when breeding killifish.
Au SL
oh, so does it mean i gotta change my water fully again and add some salt? which is better, aquarium salt or table salt? and how do i tell apart from white spots and velvet ? cos i am really panic now. i dun noe whether to give my male one medicine or not. if i give it the wrong one, i scared it will die. then, should i seperate the male and the female just in case the disease spreads?
Garrett, you don't need to do a whole water change. Just do a partial water change, say maybe 20% or so and add some aquarium salt will do.
Fish afflicted with white spots generally have many spots, like the name suggests, on its body. Usually it attacks the fins first and you can see them fairly clearly. Velvet on the other hand, appears as a peppering of faint white spots, of which to some people, has the texture of velvet material, thus giving it the name.
Salt is a preventive method to reduce the risk of your Nothos from getting velvet. There are several good medications out there for treatment of both white spot and velvet. Sera Costapur has worked well for me in treating white spot. As for velvet, Oodinol is a treatment. There are several medications that treat Oodinium (the scientific name for velvet) in the fish shops here. I believe they will work one way or another.
Set up a hospital tank for the male and treat him as per necessary. Observe him first for the next few days and if he shows signs of either disease, treat him accordingly and with the right dosage of medication. Its always better to dose slightly lesser than what is stated on the bottle.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
erm, i heard that nothobranchius rubripinnis is prone to velvet. and i am quite sure that my fish has got it after reading through some killefish books. however, i had already bought the medicine pimafix. is that a good medicine? thats what the shop owner recommended me. i added less than one-quarter teaspoon as the instructions say 1 teaspoon per 40 gallon. i added the medicine to my breeding tank. do you think this is advisable? i am afraid that the whole tank might be infected with oodinium. as for the female, i have yet to see visible sypmtoms on her body yet. anyway, if the killifish has got velvet disease, will it affect its small fry or its eggs? erm, and, does the remnants of the leftover food and faeces create condition in which velvet thrives? must i get rid of them?
Garrett, I have no idea what Pimafix does or whether its a good medication or not. I would have suggested that you do not dose the tank yet but rather, observe the male for more symptoms. But since you've already dosed, just observe the pair for the next few days. If they do recover then you can see that they'll feed with more enthusiasm. Healthy fishes always eat heartily but do not overfeed.
Velvet can kill young fry and it spreads very easily. I would do some tank maintenance if I was you. Having scraps of uneaten food and faeces in the tank is NOT good unless you have scavengers like snails. Even then, that is no excuse not to maintain your tank.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
Hm, from the pimafix instuctions, it says that it is a supplment of melafix. as for the snails, which kind of snails should i put in my tank? will they harm my killifishes or the eggs?
Garrett,
First of all, we have to establish if your Killies really have velvet. In advanced stages of infection, the gold dust can be easily seen on the fins. In early stages, velvet always appear somewhere on the head of the fish, between their eyes. Nothobranchius are highly susceptible to Velvet disease but they almost never get Ich.
Unless it's a fry, it takes some time before a Killie dies of velvet so there's no need to panic. There are a few things you can do to help the fish. Heating up the tank, switching off all the lights, adding salt (preferably marine salt) helps but the fish won't be cured that easily. I don't like to talk about brands on the forum but seeing how worried you sound, there are 2 brands of medication that are, in my own experience, very effective against velvet. One is called Aquarium Munster and the other is WaterLife. In both these brands, they have products that are used solely against velvet disease. I've seen Aquarium Munster sold in Eco-culture and the Clementi fish shop at Block 328. As for WaterLife, Happy Aquarium at Towner Road has them. Average fish shops usually don't carry these 2 brands. My guess is the profit margins on them are not as high as other brands.
Medication works best when it is used in clean water. In other words, I would suggest you transfer the fish into a hospital tank with very clean old water before adding the medication. Read the instructions carefully before you medicate. Do not overdose. I have cured Killies of velvet on many occasions so it's not something that is beyond hope.
Be careful though, velvet very often makes a comeback not long after the fish is cured. Usually, it takes about 3 doses and 5 days before the velvet is wiped out completely.
Loh K L
If my male one has velvet, does it means it lies in a corner motionless? Because thats what my male is, it keeps lying motionlessly, reluctant to move. As for the female, i still cannot find any symptoms on it yet. What is clean old water? Meaning water from the tap left for a few days? Should i add the medication straight to the hospital tank or my breeding tank? I am afraid that there might be velvet inside the breeding tank still even after my male is cured. Erm, may i know where is Eco-culture?
I feel like a doctor trying to make a diagnosis without ever having seen the patientOriginally Posted by rubripinnis
It's hard to say if a motionless Killie is suffering from velvet. But if it really doesn't move at all, it's probably dead. It takes quite a while before a fish succumbs to velvet but if its listless or it isn't eating at all, chances are it's at an advanced stage of disease. And it may not necessarily be velvet disease. Velvet as we have described a few times, appears as gold dust on the bodies. Do you see this?
Old clean water means exactly that. The water is old but clean. What you shouldn't do is transfer your fish into brand new water, straight from the taps.
Eco-culture is on the ground floor of Eminent Plaza, next to Bugis Square, at the junction of Lavender Street and Serangoon Road.
Loh K L
Erm, i see gold cotton-like spots below its pectoral fins and behind its gills. It is not really motionless but it doesn't like to move. However, when i move closer to him, it tends to be scared and somewhat stressed. As for the female, it has turned into a pinkish-brown colour, instead of its usual transparent brown colour. I borrowed the aquarium munster from poh san (thnx alot for lending me!) and i added 2 drops yesterday. I wonder if the medicine did anything to cure them.
What is the scientific name for the snail which eats leftover food? I got trouble buying it.
Hi Garrett,
There is no need to buy the snail. Ask it from any planted tank keeper and they will be glad to give you all (except Ronnie), provided you catch it yourself.What is the scientific name for the snail which eats leftover food? I got trouble buying it
Furthermore, putting snail into the tank does not give you any excuse to neglect your basic tank maintenance. Please also take note snail do not behave well to Aquarium muster, if I remember reading the instruction correctly.
I hope that the medication works. Please update us on your killies.
BTW, where is the LFS in Bishan that is selling killies?
Regards,
Ong Poh San
Poh San,
I happened to see the shop when I was there on Saturday. The killifish are sold for $30 a pair.
The shop is near to the multi-stoery carpark where there are 2 shop selling CD and PS2 games. It's behind the CPF building......
Au SL
Ok, anyway, i have learnt my lesson of not maintaining my tank. Poh San, my killifishes are doing well. The spot behind its gill seems to be recovering. As for the spot below its pectoral fin, its still there.
The shop in bishan is called Echo Streams. I guess Au SL already visited it. Anyway, thanks for lending me Aquarium Munster. It really helped. Thanks alot.
Hm, strange. After i come back home from work, my male nothobranchius rubripinnis seems to be panting. I fed him with some frozen blood-worms and it does'nt seems to be eating. Now i am really worried because it was doing fine last few days.
Garett,
All the observations you have described so far are behaviour and not the symptoms. Fish often pant, stay motionless, hide, lose their appetite or swim listlessly when they are stricken with disease. But all these behaviour patterns won't tell us what's really the problem. If you want better help, you have to give us more information. A picture would be great.
A detailed description of your setup would be useful too.
Loh K L
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