Fundulopanchax gardneri

[johnchor]

Hello Bros,

i am very happy today, i just got a trio of Fundulopanchax gardneri 1M2F.
they are small at 1 inch now. i hope they will breed soon.

my setup as below
===========================================================
Tank: 2.5 gallon plastic tank with tight cover. - is this too small?
Filter: mature sponge filter from my cichlid tank
Light: IKEA LEDBERG 3ft LED 1.8w only can be use for 3 tanks.
Plants: java moss and java fern attached with driftwood
Food: live tubifex worms, brine shrimp eggs for fry
Water: i did not test PH... i just use OF brand anti-chlorine that's all.
Misc: i mix them with some Malayan shrimp. i read malayan shrimp clean killies eggs to prevent fungus.

questions:

1) Do i need PH test kit and add peat moss to bring down PH to 6.5?
2) i added 2 teaspoon of aquarium rock salt as i notice 1 female has white mouth. looks like fungus or injury to me. is salt ok for Fundulopanchax gardneri?
3) whats the livespan of Fundulopanchax gardneri?
4) what is the simplest way to breed them? do i really need to collect the eggs from the plants and hatch them in another container? can i just leave the eggs in the tank and transfer the adults to another tank?
sorry i am a newbie and thinking the least fussy way to breed them.

please advice thanks!

[piperon]

Hi John,

I got mine from Seaview too and I was luck to be the pioneer to get them.
I got 3 pairs of blue and 2 pairs of pink.

My most importance piece of advices are - COVER THE TANK, CHANGE ONLY QUARTER OF THE WATER EVERYTIME.

1) I do not pay attention to the PH and my killies are doing just fine.
2) I only used the blue medical from the aquarium shop.
3) I believe it is a annual fish but miracle can happen.
4) Keep it simple like the stream or the drain - they love plants and vege.
5) I removed the adult (Golden Panchax) after I spotted the eggs and they continue to lay eggs in the other tanks too but I missed them and they all got eaten up by the adults. Luckily I had about 10 over spawned and healthy now.

There are many experts here who can give better advices.

[johnchor]

hello bro mike

is my tank too small? 2.5 gallon only.
2) I only used the blue medical from the aquarium shop. - is this Ocean Free anti-ich medication?
wow your Fundulopanchax gardneri spawned? so fast? how long you keep them? how big are yours now?

thanks

[piperon]

Hello John (Nice to meet you and have me in your buddylist),

I think it is ok for a start but as the fish glow bigger you need to provide more space for them to swim and be more active and healtier.
Yes, it is the anti-ich medication from the aquarium shop and I feed the Killies with bloodworm.
They are about 3 inches now, I got them couple of months ago.
It was the Golden Panchax that spawned not the Fundulopanchax Gardneri (gees, wondering is there a shorter name for these killies, hahaha!).

I am not sure whether did you noticed that there are two species over Seaview in the same tank - one is blue another is pink (I got both species).
You can mixed the Fundulopanchax Gardneri with the Golden Panchax provided they are about the same size otheriwse the Golden Panchax will bite them.

One last piece of advice :-

The Golden Panchax usually stay on top of the tank whereas the Fundulopanchax Gardneri like to dwell below the tank.
But when the Fundulopanchax Gardneri start to swim on the top regularly, meaning they are sick already (or lack of oxygen) - this is the sign to look up for sick and troubled fish.

[johnchor]

hi mike

i checked today my fungus female do not looked good, fungus seems worst. and she is swimming on top level water.
she did not eat either...

when i buy her she is definatly healthy.... don't know what happened to her, fighting injuried?
the other male and female looks good. fat and happy eating lots of tubifex worms.

[johnchor]

hello bros,

some updates... bad news...

the fungus female is dead when i return from work today....haiz... i quickly remove the dead fish.
but lucky the other male and female still alive and eating alot of tubifex worms.
but they are very shy always hiding among plants. i think due to my small 2.5 gallon tank i will stick with a pair rather than a trio.
bro mike i bought the blue color types. i read from aka forum blue color types are wild colors. pink is a line-bred form. not sure how true.

[piperon]

Oops, sorry to hear this sad news bro John.
I hope the pair will survive, as long as they are eating, I see no problems.

I went to Green Chapter today at Macpherson and I was so happy like a small child when I saw the clown killies.
I bought all of them, 6 of them but I think they are all male. Sorry bro, they are like treasure to me (been hunting them around for months already).
I will try to find around to see whether I can get the female one.
The staff there told me to look for Ronnie (a member here) and see whether he still keep the female one.
And I told the staff they overpriced the Fundulopanchax Gardneri (one female left - only one left) for $50 a pair.
I told him that Seaview is currently selling at $6.80 per fish.
They have two other species (long and beautiful killies) but the one I wanted is male and no female.
So I can't breed with only one beautiful male.

Yes, I knew the original was the blue and pink is kind of cross-breed with other species.
But now I put my attention to raise these beautiful clown killies and hope I can find some female soon.

[johnchor]

some picture of my small 2.5 gallon tank

Tank front with big sponge filter on the left rear.
2.5galtankfront1.jpg

Tank Top/side with IKEA LEDBERG LED lights
2.5galtankside1.jpg

Java moss - is this java moss?
2.5galtankjavamoss1.jpg
Java fern - is this java fern?
2.5galtankjavafern1.jpg

i have big problems taking killifish pictures they always hiding in plants. i need more patience.lolz
do i need more java moss for breeding and protecting the eggs and fry?

thanks!

[johnchor]

Hello mike bro,

no problem with clown killies, i read they are a hard species to keep and breed due to very small fry which cant eat brine shrimp. will be a headache for me. i'm just a novice.
and moreover no females, i wont buy them just like the Nothobranchius guentheri from seaview no females = no deal. hahaha lolz.

i will concentrate on Fundulopanchax gardneri first. hope they breed soon!!!

btw the Fundulopanchax from GC is not Fundulopanchax gardneri but Fundulopanchax Nigrinins... i think more rare type. that y they cost much more.

lets keep each other inform when we see good killies around and we can go shopping!

Oops, sorry to hear this sad news bro John.
I hope the pair will survive, as long as they are eating, I see no problems.

I went to Green Chapter today at Macpherson and I was so happy like a small child when I saw the clown killies.
I bought all of them, 6 of them but I think they are all male. Sorry bro, they are like treasure to me (been hunting them around for months already).
I will try to find around to see whether I can get the female one.
The staff there told me to look for Ronnie (a member here) and see whether he still keep the female one.
And I told the staff they overpriced the Fundulopanchax Gardneri (one female left - only one left) for $50 a pair.
I told him that Seaview is currently selling at $6.80 per fish.
They have two other species (long and beautiful killies) but the one I wanted is male and no female.
So I can't breed with only one beautiful male.

Yes, I knew the original was the blue and pink is kind of cross-breed with other species.
But now I put my attention to raise these beautiful clown killies and hope I can find some female soon.

[piperon]

Dear John,

I would advise you to add some sand or small rocks to the base of the tank, this allow the small fry to escape predators (in this case, the parent).
Of course, some medium branches will add more protection unless you spot the eggs fast and remove the adult immediately otherwise they will eat the eggs.
If you are able to put some lillies or lotus plants on the top, it will add more protection too but by the time the adults were removed from the tank, there is nothing to worry.
You need natural sunlight to make sure your plants will survive, you can buy lamp with those UV lights too but sunlight is still the best - natural and energised with potein.

I think you still need couple of months to upbring your pair of killies before you can have them spawn. Good luck to your new adventure.

PS : I am very sure the female was Fundulopanchax gardneri and not Fundulopanchax Nigrinins, the fins is the definition of the fish type. I got 3 similar females in my tank too.

[akillifan]

There are a few type of java fern, the in the photo is the bigger leaves type. I have 6 bunch of narrow leave ferns tied to dw in my various tanks.

And i use a lot of salvenia as floaters and duckweed too, but currently salvinias out numbered duckweed, not for long, maybe.

Putting dark colored gravel in the tank is not a bad idea but many people find it hard to maintain clean tank, thus clean water.

I adopted some idea from the book by Diana Walstad on her setup for natural planted tank and so far its working out well for me. Hardly need to change water in my 6 ltr tanks but just top up due to evaporation. The book is available in local library and in kinokuniya as well. A good reference book for any aquarium hobbyist.

[johnchor]

hello akillifan bro

6 liters or 6 gallons?
6 liters is very small... what u keep inside?
what filter u used for 6 liters?

ya i like black sand or soil but diffcult to keep clean. i am thinking getting more java moss on the bottom for fry to hide.

[akillifan]

The redtail nothos are small, so, they dont need much space i reckon. They are in my recyled 6 liter tank i used to keep 1 betta.

So far i dont see a problem if you provide places to hide like java fern etc. And i have a medium size Gex corner filter running but i removed the activated carbon media and replaced with API ammonia removal sand.

If they are not able to breed, i will keep them till they expired i guess.....

[Shi Xuan]

Hi Johnchor,

If you've noticed, I've edited quite a few of your posts because they contain some shorthanded text. Please refrain from doing so. This is part of the rules of this forum and I hope you understand. The ones sold at Green Chapter are not gardneri at all and the correct name should be Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Innidere". This strain was bought as eggs and bred over several generations, so they are identifiable fishes.

I'd suggest that if you're interested in killies, try to read up a bit more on them because the husbandry, water parameters, tank size etc. varies among species. For example, the ex-Megalebias are humongous killies which should be treated like cichlids and they like it cold, 20-23°C. Likewise, tiny killies like Leptolebias and Notholebias thrive and breed in acidic water and probably won't last long in an alkaline environment. There are some dedicated websites and books on killies which you can use as a reference when it comes to dealing with a specific species;

Frans Vermeulen's New World Killies => http://www.itrainsfishes.net/content/;

You can also try to get the pocket sized guide book on all the latest killie species compiled by Todor Metchkov here => http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...ishe1332276331

The local killie scene, as mentioned several times, is not very vibrant. Therefore, serious hobbyists should consider sourcing for eggs over the internet but as reiterated many times, there's always some risks involved. In fact, my latest batch of Rivulus cylindraceus "Cascada de Soaro" eggs I got through the mail didn't work out really well. Don't expect things to go your way because we're dealing with living creatures but if it does go as planned, the outcome can be very very rewarding.

Best regards,
Shi Xuan

[piperon]

Actualy, Fundulopanchax gardneri is the common name for the killies.
There are several branch of the Fundulopanchax gardneri, just like durian - some called it D24, some called it Maoshan but they are all actually durian.
The largest durian I ever ate was from Thailand, one is enough to jam your stomach.
Oops, are we talking about killies or durian here. Hahaha!

The families of the Fundulopanchax gardneri are :-

1) Fundulopanchax gardneri gardneri (name after the founder - Captain R.D.Gardner. Boulenger)
2) Fundulopanchax gardneri nigeranus (I believe this species came from Nigerian)
3) Fundulopanchax gardneri mamfensis (mamfensis - Refers to the Mamfe plains)
4) Fundulopanchax gardneri lacustris (lacustris means come from the lake Ejagham)

But they are all Fundulopanchax gardneri, a family of killies fish.

[Draka]

Sorry, just to correct a misconception here. Not all killies are subspecies of Fundulopanchax gardneri. They all belong to the same family, that is true, but they do not belong to the same species. The difference between them can be likened to that between a wolf and a dog. Fundulopanchax gardneri does have its subspecies, and these can be rightly labelled as bro piperon has done, but to my knowledge F. nigeranus is a species seperate from F. gardneri.

[Shi Xuan]

Hi piperon,

Wrong, in fact, Draka was right. Read here for more information about Binomial Nomenclature => http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0857381.html

Fundulopanchax nigerianus is no longer considered a subspecies of gardneri and has been made a distinct species of it's own. We have the following populations circulating in the hobby at the moment;

Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Innidere"
Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Makurdi"
Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Jos Plateau"
Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Lokoja"
Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Misaje"
Fundulopanchax nigerianus "P82"

Note that the 1st and last one are not the exact collection codes. In fact, P82 is an old aquarium strain of the species.

[piperon]

Thanks Draka,
The label are man-made, so it doesn't matter to me and they don't look like a wolf and a dog difference to me.
Anyway, thanks for the valuable information.

Thanks Shi Xuan too,
First, I am not here to prove who is right and who is wrong - this was not my intention.
I am just trying to get more information for this killie family and I DIDN'T said you were wrong.
Whatever name they go by, it doesn't matter to me - what matter to me is know more about these beautiful babies.
But I thank you for these valuable information too.

May the LOVE be with you always.
Piperon

[piperon]

Since both of you are so well versed with these killie, can I ask a question here?

I bough mine from Seaview and I noticed there are blue and pink Fundulopanchax gardneri.
Then bro John said that another member mentioned that the blue one are the wild one and the pink one are another strain from the blue one.
Just like the Yellow or Golden Panchax is another strain from the wild stripe panchax.

Is this information correct? Thanks a lots in advance.

[johnchor]

hello bro shi xuan

thanks for your expert advice. you reallly helps out newbies like me.

i just like to highlight a point.
yes we should keep Pure fish as Pure as possible. this is same as cichilds. i am a victorian cichlids keeper too. if you know what i mean.
but from a newbie angle. i think Pure fish is too expensive and too valuable to be wasted in case the newbie screwed up. just like me i screwup and 1 of my female F.gardneri died.

i think we should encourage newbies to take up aquarium strain for gaining experiences. but do not encourage them to mix or hybrid with Pure strain.
this is like slow education, primary 1-6, once they accept the fact then things will be better for SG killifish scene.
once newbies are more confident, we should promote pure strain to them.
i think this way will keeps killifish interest alive in SG.

just my simple thoughts.