Another question from a newcomer

[skyblader]

How do I tell whether a killifish's male or female? It would be nice if someone will enlighten me. Thank you.

[timebomb]

Well, Skyblader,

Usually, I will simply give them hell but I'm in a good mood today so I will tell you this as nicely as I can.

My guess is you're young, probably a student and you hang out in other aquaria forums based in Singapore. You have made 2 posts so far and you probably think there's nothing wrong with the way they were written. But please take note that the culture in Killies.com is different from those you frequent. Here, we expect all users to write their posts in proper English. Please don't misunderstand us. We don't expect perfect English but we expect everyone to spell correctly. This shouldn't be "too hard to do" as a spellchecker is provided. We understand that Singlish makes us feel Singaporean but please take note that there are many foreigners here. It's actually quite rude to write in a language that they may not understand. We are also aware that using sms shortforms is the trend among the young these days but if you notice, almost everyone here spells their words in full. In other words, we don't spell "someone" as "sum1" or "question" as "qn". On the internet, there are certain short forms that are widely accepted. For instance, if you say "BTW", we know that stands for "By the way". We don't mind when forum users use such short forms but we get very irritated when we see someone butcher the English language.

Please take a few moments to read the rules and forum netiquette before you make your next post. We hope you understand our culture and become a regular here.

As to your question, it's actually quite easy to sex Killies. With most species, the males are colourful whereas the females are rather drab. In the case of the Aphyosemion poliaki, the male has dazzling colours whereas the female is mostly brown. You can see some pictures of this fish here.

Loh K L

[hwchoy]

I beg to comment, o' forum owner.

"sum1", "whld" and such are not even Singlish, which uses standard English words with anglicised local terms, and a unique grammar set.

[skyblader]

I'm very sorry for the juvenile mistakes made. I've edited all my posts. Please forgive me if I offend anyone. Oh, thanks for the information provided.

[timebomb]

Thanks for taking the trouble to edit all your posts, Skyblader. Your apology is accepted. No hard feelings, I hope.

Tell us a bit more about your Aphyosemion poliaki. Where did you buy the fish and how do you know the species name is correct? If you are interested in Aphyosemion, there are many species within this genus.
Some are actually quite easy to breed. I no longer keep the A. australe or I wouldn't mind sparing you a trio.

Hang around but please do some research first before asking more questions. If you get to know the guys/gals here better, some may even give you fish for free.

Loh K L

[skyblader]

Hi timebomb, I'm okay with a bit of critique. It implies that you are willing to give me another chance for improvement. In fact, I like to thank you and zmzfam for showing me the functions of the forum. It is rather embarrassing to make mistakes without reading through all the FAQ, and I must admit that I'm a student, albeit an 'old' one. I'm currently cramming for my A levels.

I've actually typed a rather long paragraph in The Trading Post. stormhawk was very kind to advise me to return to the shop that sold me the fish since it's rather rare in our little sunny island. The irony is - I can't.

Basically, I got my Aphyosemion poliaki through a chance encounter. I bought from a local fish shop in my neighbourhood (it's not very well-known at all). Its price was contrasted with the fighting fish it was with (it was among rows of fighting fish). I thought it looked very unique as its finnage was different and it was orange in colour. I went back to the shop but the uncle knew nothing about it. He only told me that it is a small eater.

About the species name, let's just say I plowed through websites, such as the American Killifish Association and that of the UK (it's not really reflected in my debut post though ). I painfully went through hundreds of pictures and I saw the Aphyosemion Australe which looked similar but they don't have the colour orange. I knew it belonged to the Aphyosemion family form there onwards but the breakthrough came when I came across this wonderful site! At least I knew that there are fellow Singaporeans who can help me (no offence to the rest of the world ). The anal fin fitted perfectly with my fish!! I thought my fish had a torn anal fin at first. The colours, the dots, the black line running from head to tail... the rest is history. One of its ventral fins is damaged, can it recover?

However, like the information shown on the website, my fish don't reflect the beautiful pictures. Yet. My fish (I named it 'Pencil' and I've a fighting fish named 'Shoelace') lacks the bright green coloration. It's very timid though it's increasingly bolder. He dares to eat his pellets in front of me now. It's the owner of a 7"x5"x6" 'bachelor pad', with his 'garden' - java moss - and a 'garage' - a piece of driftwood' - to park himself.

Oh my, I've been going on and on. Thank you, timebomb, for the generous intention.

[RonWill]

Welcome, "skyblader".
It's encouraging to see you on a wild goose chase because of one killifish. Addictive, isn't it?

A word of caution though. Alot of Aphyosemion can look similar, so going by photographs isn't the best way of ID-ing. Still, I'd like to see an image of your poliaki, even though I suspect it isn't one.

Your description of orange fins and a "black line running from head to tail" sounds like an Chromaphyosemion bivittatum or bitaeniatum species. Click here for some BIT Lagos pics.

BIV Funge

BIT Ijebu Ode

...but the breakthrough came when I came across this wonderful site! At least I knew that there are fellow Singaporeans who can help me (no offence to the rest of the world )

Although the majority of forumers here are locals, we have a large percentage of international members as well. Make no mistake, as some of them have been working with killies for decades and the rest of us still have much to learn.

BTW, it would also make us very happy if you could edit your profile and leave a name. Most of us do.

[keehoe]

Hmmmm, sound like another potential killi baby sitter.

I know Ron will be very happy if you visit him.

It is good for beginner to have a look at Ron's setup before ordering/ doing your own setup.

[RonWill]

It is good for beginner to have a look at Ron's setup...

What I can share are just ideas. The rest is up to those who bother implementing them.

Kee Hoe, since you mentioned the 'visits', why not arrange with 'skyblader' and be his/her 'tour guide'. I'm always willing to further the addiction of the unsuspecting

[keehoe]

It is good for beginner to have a look at Ron's setup...

What I can share are just ideas. The rest is up to those who bother implementing them.

Kee Hoe, since you mentioned the 'visits', why not arrange with 'skyblader' and be his/her 'tour guide'. I'm always willing to further the addiction of the unsuspecting

Sure Ron, hope he will contact me soon. I think he needs more fish tank very soon.

[skyblader]

In loving memory of Pencil. Found dead on the floor at approximately 645 hours. Committed suicide apparently. No sign of a struggle. Only a cold, hard body resting on the marble. This reply will be dedicated to him. Let me take another minute of silence

[timebomb]

In loving memory of Pencil. Found dead on the floor at approximately 645 hours.

Awww, that happens all the time, Randy. We should have warned you but sometimes, these things slip our minds. Killies are good jumpers; unsettled Killies more so. I guess we all learnt this the hard way too. We've been there before and know how it feels. You have our deepest sympathy.

But take heart. If you're really keen on Killies and want to try breeding them, come over to my house and I'll give you a trio of Simp. fulminantis. They are annuals though, quite different from your beloved Pencil. By the way, I like the names you give your fish. You seem to have a knack for it but wait till you hatch out more than a hundred fry

Loh K L

[skyblader]

Hi Ron and Kee Hoe, as you guys can see... he's in heaven. I cannot find a reason why he decided to jump. I had him for at least a week but he chose this very day, the 14th of November, to escape from his tank. It wasn't covered... if only it was

Thanks for the pictures provided, Ron. I realised that my fish looked like this:

So I guess it was an Aphyosemion bitaeniatum after all.

I guess it was still young. I've a few pictures taken using my handphone but since they came from a VGA camera, they are really not clear enough to be conclusive.

Its tail, however, don't look much like this:

Not with the 'twin' tails of the lower anal tail. I dare say your pictures were quite well-taken and I believe my fish was of that species.

My tank is now taken up by 10 cherry shrimps, a 'Xiao Jing Ling' and 5 neon tetras. I went to replace the empty tank immediately after the exam. I've Economics tomorrow, the essay component so I won't stay for long.

Erm, Kee Hoe, why would I need new tanks? I'll probably PM you by the end of the week when my papers are cleared. I would like to have Aphyosemion bitaeniatum swimming in my tank.

[skyblader]

Oh, hi Loh (if that's how I'm supposed to address you). Thank you for the sound advice. The name, Shoelace, came from my girlfriend. Can I reply to your kind gesture tomorrow? I really need to do well for my As. Sorry for the slight inconvenience. I'm moving on already , slowly, bit by bit.

[timebomb]

Can I reply to your kind gesture tomorrow?

Sure, Randy, take your time. In fact, I would say you should concentrate on your exams first. When it's over, come over to my place.

Usually, I'm not fussy how I'm addressed but in your case, it should be "Uncle Loh". You may think you're an *old* student but I'm old enough to be your father In fact, one of my daughters is taking her A levels exams now too, just like you.

Loh K L

[keehoe]

Hi Ron and Kee Hoe, as you guys can see... he's in heaven. I cannot find a reason why he decided to jump. I had him for at least a week but he chose this very day, the 14th of November, to escape from his tank. It wasn't covered... if only it was

Thanks for the pictures provided, Ron. I realised that my fish looked like this:
So I guess it was an Aphyosemion bitaeniatum after all.

I guess it was still young. I've a few pictures taken using my handphone but since they came from a VGA camera, they are really not clear enough to be conclusive.

Its tail, however, don't look much like this:
Not with the 'twin' tails of the lower anal tail. I dare say your pictures were quite well-taken and I believe my fish was of that species.

My tank is now taken up by 10 cherry shrimps, a 'Xiao Jing Ling' and 5 neon tetras. I went to replace the empty tank immediately after the exam. I've Economics tomorrow, the essay component so I won't stay for long.

Erm, Kee Hoe, why would I need new tanks? I'll probably PM you by the end of the week when my papers are cleared. I would like to have Aphyosemion bitaeniatum swimming in my tank.

Because i can sense someone is trying to get you busy with another fish that closely resemble your beloved pencil.

As you starts breeding them, it is best keep them separated from any other species as each and individual requirement can differ quite a bit. We strongly discourage crossing of any killi.

Actually the dead of your pencil put you in better position to be a real killi keeper.

Killi is more than a hobby. It is an effort to presearve species that were collected from the wild and that is why you often see their name comes with long tag of information such as location, date and name of the collector of that particular collection. So keeping them pure and labelled is most important part of what we do here.

Timebomb, Do we still have the killi with "Fair Price" tag behind it?

Don't mistaken that as an indication of the value of the fish. It is just a mark of location where we collected the beauty. It is near one of the NTUC Fair Price building.

[selena]

timebomb wrote:

But take heart. If you're really keen on Killies and want to try breeding them, come over to my house and I'll give you a trio of Simp. fulminantis. They are annuals though, quite different from your beloved Pencil. By the way, I like the names you give your fish. You seem to have a knack for it but wait till you hatch out more than a hundred fry

Hi Randy,
As a species co-ordinator of fulminantis , this is a dificult fish to handle and the fry are very tiny. I have them for nine months and still have whole tank wipe-out (Psst...that always happen to KL's tank ).

-----------------------------------------
Selena

[skyblader]

Hi Uncle Loh, Kee Hoe and Selena, I just got back from school. I'm feeling good about my paper

I've not decided whether to take up the responsibility of Simp. fulminantis yet but I thought the dig at Uncle Loh was quite funny. I'm not sure about their housing. I can probably give my neon tetras away to accomodate the 3 killies but there are so many other factors to take care of:

i. Water salinity - I've a bit of ketapang water in the tank (about 1 cup).
ii. Community - There's still a suckerfish and cherry shrimps in the tank.
iii. Cover - After Pencil's death, I've put a plastic sheet on top of the tank but is it enough?
iv. Plants - Java moss tied to a piece of driftwood. Do I need more?
v. Temperature - Is a chiller required?
vi. Food - What to feed? I've pellets, ginko nut worms and freeze-dried blood worms. If I get baby brine shrimps, how do I store them?

I've tried reading up but I know I'm very lazy and petty. I fed Pencil floating pellets only because I bought the bottle for $6+. I want to provide the optimum conditions so I guess I need to find out more to determine my budget.

[timebomb]

Timebomb, Do we still have the killi with "Fair Price" tag behind it?

Those Killies are no longer with me, Kee Hoe. A couple of months ago, I returned them all to the stream where we caught them. They seemed happy when they swam away from me. I didn't want to keep them anymore because I think what I had were all males. That's kind of strange actually, considering that there must be some females in the stream as well. Anyway, I never saw eggs or fry when they were in my tanks.

I've not decided whether to take up the responsibility of Simp. fulminantis yet but I thought the dig at Uncle Loh was quite funny.

Yeah, sure. It was pretty funny, considering that she hardly ever raise enough Killies to give to anyone. Just like anyone else, I've suffered total wipe-outs before but I raise enough A. australes and N. rachovii's to the point they are well-established now in Singapore. You would imagine that she who got her first Killies from me would be more grateful. And for free, mind you.

i. Water salinity - I've a bit of ketapang water in the tank (about 1 cup).

I don't use Ketapang leaves. Tried it once but didn't see any real difference.

ii. Community - There's still a suckerfish and cherry shrimps in the tank.

There are many types of suckerfish in the market but generally if you're talking about Otos or SAEs, they should be okay. Cherry shrimps shouldn't be a problem too.

iii. Cover - After Pencil's death, I've put a plastic sheet on top of the tank but is it enough?

Any cover is good enough as long as it covers the tank completely. Killies may be good jumpers but I've not heard of one piercing a plastic sheet. Aworanas, maybe but not a tiny Killie.

iv. Plants - Java moss tied to a piece of driftwood. Do I need more?

No, you don't but it wouldn't be a bad thing to have more plants. However, if yours is a small tank, it may be a better idea to keep it bare. You're going to need space for a breeding bowl as well.

v. Temperature - Is a chiller required?

If Chillers are needed for every Killie, we wouldn't be keeping the fish in the first place. How many can afford chillers? A fan will be fine but even if you're not using one, it should be okay too. Just don't put the tank under direct sunlight.

vi. Food - What to feed? I've pellets, ginko nut worms and freeze-dried blood worms. If I get baby brine shrimps, how do I store them?

Some Killies will take dry food but if you're taking my fish, I'm afraid they have been spoilt on live food. It could be a problem conditioning them to take pellets or frozen food. You mean the brine shrimp eggs, don't you? We keep our brine shrimp eggs in the fridge, in the vegetable compartment. I don't think there's baby brine shrimp for sale anywhere. Adult brine shrimps, yes. Babies, no. You have to hatch them yourself.

I've tried reading up but I know I'm very lazy and petty. I fed Pencil floating pellets only because I bought the bottle for $6+. I want to provide the optimum conditions so I guess I need to find out more to determine my budget.

Besides optimum conditions, I have to tell you that you have to promise me that you will try to breed them before I can give them to you for free. If you're not willing to go through collecting eggs, drying them and then incubating them for several weeks, hatching brine shrimps for the fry, feeding the adults with live food, I will not give the fish to you. It would be a waste of fish, if you know what I mean. I give them away to people who are willing to breed them. That's how I spread them around.

Loh K L

[keehoe]

KL, It is a sad that the only collection we had ended up male only.

I was toying with the idea of passing over some AUS to Randy. Although they are not coded but they are a lot easier to look after and give him some idea of how to keep killi happy.

I think Randy would sure have the feeling of being "surrounded" as every question he ask yield so many respond and raise some emotional distress to some

Randy,
Chiller might makes things a lot easier for certain species. Unless you have a chilling balcony or stay near the heaven which normal water temperature is near 26C. Those species that require it are quite rarely seen distributed to those who just started like yourself. So you don't need that right now.

If you visit C328 about 2:30pm during weekdays. You should be able to buy some BrineShrimp, both adult and baby are available if you visit them the right time.

Personally i don't recommend that because i have had female killi turn into male after eating those adult brineshrimp. That might not be the actual cause but it is highly related to it so i rather avoid the whole thing all together. (It might be due to the spirulina powder that i fed the brineshimp prior feeding them to fishes.)

Oh My God, someone call me uncle.