Died within 1 hour

[BlessChwee]

Hi, This is my 1st post here and I bought myself 2 killies from C328 last friday together with a small tank. I rinse the tank and put in the killies and in the beginning was fine, however both fishes started to lie flat and died later.

Is Killies a very difficult fish to rear or is it bcos of the water or the tank. thanks alot.

[timebomb]

With Killies, it's always hard to generalise. Some species are difficult but many are quite easy. As you didn't specify which species you bought, it would be impossible for us to answer your question.

My guess is your Killies were already doomed when you bought them. Local fish shops and the fish importers do not seem to understand that Killies are unlike Bettas. The fish are transported in small plastic bags. This causes severe stress to the fish so they die quite easily when you bring them home.

Loh K L

[BlessChwee]

Hi Kwek Leong, thank u very much for your kind reply and yes, both killies were packed inside a very small plastic bag but they were swimming very actively when I bought them. I suspect maybe is the water at Woodland as I didnt condition the tank & water long enough.

By the way, can you kindly advise me if it is necessary for me to get a air stone or just let it survive without any bubbles just like bettas ? I saw your gallery and there are quite a number of the tanks without aeration.

[BlessChwee]

Oh yeah, the killies that I bought from C328 resembles the one on top of this forum though not as nice. I just done a search and the name should be "Nothobranchius rachovii Beira 98"

[stoker]

If you keep notho`s add a teaspoon of salt per gallon to the water ,is helps to stop VELVET.
You should let the water sit for 24 hours to allow any chlorine to escape and any water that is used should be treated to remove chloramins which is ok in tapwater for human consumption but is nasty for fish.


Mike

[timebomb]

Chwee,

Unless your tank is overcrowded with fish, you don't need an airstone. With the species Nothobranchius, I think it would be unwise to create too much turbulence in the water. This is because in their natural habitats, the Nothos live in ponds where the water is still.

The fish you bought from C328 could well be Nothobranchius rachovii but you won't be able to tell (from appearance alone) if they belong to the population code "Beira 98". The person who sold you the fish is the only one who can confirm that but it's highly unlikely the fish shop owner of C328 would know what's the population code. In such instances, you should say your fish are Nothobranchius rachovii and leave it at that.

Mike (Stoker) gave you good advice but I think your fish died from stress and not from Velvet disease or the effects of chloramine. Nothos are highly susceptible to Velvet but the disease takes time to kill. As for chloramine, I would assume if the amount is lethal enough to kill the Nothos, it would also kill your other fish. I'm also assuming, of course, that the 2 Nothos you bought weren't the only fish you have at home.

With Killies, it's best to transfer them into a seasoned tank when you bring them home. Also, give them their own dedicated tank. In other words, don't keep them with other fish.

Loh K L

[stoker]

Hi, This is my 1st post here and I bought myself 2 killies from C328 last friday together with a small tank. I rinse the tank and put in the killies and in the beginning was fine, however both fishes started to lie flat and died later.

Is Killies a very difficult fish to rear or is it bcos of the water or the tank. thanks alot.

Hi Loh

Just answered as per the first post NEW TANK washed out what with and how clean was it should always rinse it out with salty water. I assume that it was filled from the tap and fish but in when up to temperature .
You will know what the water company adds in SG , thoughts are as stated and caused the gills to stop working. Wright posted on chloramine a while back and if I remember correctly it`s nasty stuff even at low ppm may have picked that up wrong though. Won`t even start on about the nitrogen cycle as it was all over before that really got started.

Mike

[BlessChwee]

Dear Kwek Leong & Stoker, really appreciate alot for your valuable replies and yes, the small tank (9x9x9 cm) is a brand new one and I just rinse it without soaking for at least 24 hours before I put in the 2 nonos.

I really like the 2 little fishes and they were active & nice and when I see them half dead swimming my heart sank.

By the way, besides buying for the fish shops, do anyone of you here sell in SG ?

Thanks

Chwee

[RonWill]

...yes, the small tank (9x9x9 cm) is a brand new one and I just rinse it without soaking for at least 24 hours before I put in the 2 nonos

Best way to kill fishes is a everything-new tank. Chwee, next time, at least try to acclimatize them to a stable setup.

For now, killifish availability is probably from LFS since most of the active breeders I know have bailed out and moved on.

If you're interested in non-annuals, like Chromaphyosemion, there's a breeder who consigns his fishes to EcoCulture. Then again, in limited quantity. Good luck.

BTW, for Nothobranchius, it's common to refer to them as 'Nothos', not 'nonos'.

[stoker]

[quote= the small tank (9x9x9 cm) is a brand new one [/quote]

Ok BlessChwee first thought is that your new tank is far to small its really only a show tank and not any use for long term maintenance of fish. I would only keep a pair of killies in such a tank for a few hours.
I would suggest that you need a tank that holds a gallon 4.5 lt. at least , the more water in use the easier it is to maintain.
If you consider that a cubic foot approx 30cm cube hold about 6.25 gallons that may give you an idea of what to look for.
Hope this helps you , try and set the tank up for a few days before stocking and only add a few fish at a time to allow the nitrogen cycle time to work this can take a few weeks . You will find info on the web about this .


Mike

[whuntley]

Without a water test, I'm guessing the problem was pure old chloramine.

Nothos are, IME, a whole lot more sensitive to chloramine/chlorine than any other kind of killies. Well below 1 ppm will usually kill Nothos, while Bit and BIV may just laugh at those levels. It is quick, too -- often in only a few minutes.

TEST! Any visible trace of color, when the test vial is held up against a white refrigerator o/e, will be enough chlorine or chloramine to severely damage gills and skin, allowing other diseases to develop later. The real villain is never suspected in those cases. Only Nothos have had the good grace to die immediately, for me. Most other fish were just sterilized and/or eventually weakened and died.

Wright

PS. Aging and aerating will do no good. SG, like most developed places is adding ammonia to make chlorine into chloramine to protect you from cancer. Only really backward, rustic places like Bishop CA still just add straight chlorine without the ammonia.