Clown Killies(Epiplatys annulatus)

[azn_fishy55]

I am planning on getting a pair of Clown Killies.Houw can you tell them from male and female?What would be an ideal tank size,for show not breeding?What should I feed them?Should the tank have high water flow?What is the ideal temperature?How soft does the water have to be?Are they okay in a planted tank?Thanks,this is my first time in keeping killies and I am a bit nervous in getting them.

[stormhawk]

As for sexing them, males are generally larger, with showy fins and colours in the caudal fin. The tails usually have an extension in the middle rays.

Females on the other hands tend to have colourless fins but retain the stripes. As for keeping them I'll let Ronnie explain more.

[whuntley]

Since none of the sworn officers of the nomenclature police have chimed in, may I offer the suggestion that the correct genus is Epiplatys and not Aplocheilus?

Wright

PS Sexes are hard to tell for sure, even on pretty mature pairs. The females have a lot of color, too in the more popular locations. Their dorsal and anal fins may be a bit more rounded at the tips. They are the ones that lay eggs.

PPS. Don't try to collect or otherwise handle eggs. Let them hatch with the parents, and try to spoon them off the surface before they show vertical stripes. They hide in the meniscus and, at night, can seen from above with a hand torch by the bright reflective spot on their forehead.

[azn_fishy55]

Thanks for hte correction,will 4 do okay in a 5 1/2 gallon tank?

[whuntley]

Perfect!

Give them some Java Moss on the bottom, and plenty of floating Water Sprite or bushy floating plants (is Egeria the name I'm trying to remember?). Najas works, too, but is rather brittle. I always like a thin substrate of peat moss, and maybe either some fibrous peat or boiled and rinsed redwood fuzz (aka Gorilla Fur, by the landscapers). A floating mop or two would be nice, too.

As your feeding/conditioning starts to work, you should be prepared to start removing babies in about 3-4 weeks. Keep young ones of the same size together as bigger ones are predatory on their smaller siblings. The parents seem totally indifferent toward the babies, as long as they are well fed.

Cover the tank carefully, at first, as they are excellent jumpers. Once settled in and happy, they never seem to want to jump.

Wright

[KillieOrCory]

All the ones in these photos are all boys. Sorry currently I have no photo of a female.





If you follow the advise above you should have no problems keeping them.

Cheers,

Serkan

[azn_fishy55]

I guess I'll get the 5.5 then for them.Would a screen mesh or glass suffice,having floating plant blocks out the light for the other plants.Instead of peat moss,would ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia be okay,it lowers the pH like peat moss?Instead of Java Moss I was thinking Christmas or Taiwan moss,will that be okay,since they grow slower that Java.And on a driftwood thats gonna be there son Anubias nana petite or Lace Java fern.Will a Red Sea Nano Filter be too much flow for them?Is it okay if I left the tank as an un-heated tank?Thanks.
Those are gorgous clown killies,the ones I saw were a bit darker.How do you mak'em bright up?

[whuntley]

The ANN are a surface fish, and spawn best, probably, in the roots of floating plants. They like the shading of the floating leaves, too.

They also may not be very comfortable in a really high-light tank. That's why I suggested Water Sprite (for its dense hanging roots) and Java Moss (for its tolerance for low light). Both are good ammonia sponges and oxygenators, too.

Unheated would be great in SG, but in N. CA, you will want some heat in the tank, unless you keep the room unusually warm. Remember, these guys come from the steamy coastal regions of places like Liberia and Guinea, so do best at temps of 25-30C.

The ideal breeding tank will generally not be a super display tank, in my experience. I suspect you may need to compromise a bit between them.

Wright

[azn_fishy55]

Well not going for breeding them right now because I have school and chores,just for show right now.The light won't be too bright,just 2 wpg of normal output fluorescent lighting,Hopefully I'll be able to set-up this tank soon so I can get my killies.

[RonWill]

Andrew & Kee Hoe,
Please excuse my sporadic participation but I hope the following discussions will hold the answers you seek to find;

Breeding Epiplatys Annulatus

Breeding the Epiplatys (Pseudepiplatys) annulatus

Maturity and breeding the Pseudepiplatys annulatus

Epiplatys Annulatus

ANN-E = European-sourced Ps. annulatus (Part 2)

ANN-E = European-sourced Ps. annulatus

Keeping ANNs (was Re : WTB: Pseudepiplatys annulatus)

ANN From Plantas

Pseudepiplatys annulatus

Epiplatys (Pseudepiplatys) annulatus fry

Should have an image of a female ANN in there somewhere. Goog luck with the ANNs. These understated killies are still one of my favourites and if you were anywhere near my neighbourhood, you'd probably bring home a tub of these fry

[azn_fishy55]

Oh,I wish T_T.Some of Local Fish Stores has gone out of stock.I guess I'll just have to use some other species that might pop up one day.Thanks for the help.

[keehoe]

Andrew & Kee Hoe,
Please excuse my sporadic participation but I hope the following discussions will hold the answers you seek to find;

Breeding Epiplatys Annulatus

Breeding the Epiplatys (Pseudepiplatys) annulatus

Maturity and breeding the Pseudepiplatys annulatus

Epiplatys Annulatus

ANN-E = European-sourced Ps. annulatus (Part 2)

ANN-E = European-sourced Ps. annulatus

Keeping ANNs (was Re : WTB: Pseudepiplatys annulatus)

ANN From Plantas

Pseudepiplatys annulatus

Epiplatys (Pseudepiplatys) annulatus fry

Should have an image of a female ANN in there somewhere. Goog luck with the ANNs. These understated killies are still one of my favourites and if you were anywhere near my neighbourhood, you'd probably bring home a tub of these fry

Thanks for your offer ronnie. But in fish reproduction. Nothing beats the fun of doing it yourself ^^"

Especially going to fish shop, rescue those fish that you think might make it home safely and condition them back to good health. Then bang bang bang, the fry pop out from the egg.