Transcript Sustrate Spawners II: Killifish

Sustrate Spawners II: Killifish
Mops and Peat
Introduction
• Our last group of spawners use some unusual
techiques to reproduce.
• Mop spawners and peat spawners rely on heavy
substrate to protect eggs, keep temperature
correct and provide suitable water quality.
• Killifish our our number one group here,
although Cory’s are popular too.
Mop Spawners General
• Mainly comprised of Killifish, these fish lay their
eggs in mops made of synthetic yarn, or in
plants.
• The goal seams to be to hide the eggs.
• Included in this group
Aphyosemion
Aplocheilus
Epiplatys
Rivukus
Simposonichthys
Aphyosemion amieti
How are they special?
• What makes these fish different from the egg lay
scatterers is that their eggs are harder and larger, and
fecudity is reduced to 20 -30 a day.
• Corydoras catfish also seem to fit in this group in
method, although they lay many more eggs.
• Typically, they will attach their
eggs to anything in the tank
including the mop.
Tank Setup: Cory’s
• Hang several mops, add a sponge filter and a
heater if needed.
• Add a pair of fish.
Corydoras sterbai
• The female will lay the eggs deep in the mop or
the plant/male fertilizes them.
Careful!
• Sometimes they will turn right around and eat
them.
• Another difference with Corydoras is that the
female may take sperm into her mouth and
fertilizes the eggs which she is clutching in her
pectoral fins, while sticking it on the preferred
surface!
• How sneaky!
Care is Essential
• You must pick the eggs out of the mop daily.
•
Place them into a small container with “anti-fungals” added
(methylene blue or acriflavin).
• Store the eggs in a darker place (warmth doesn’t hurt.)
• They will incubate for 14-21 days for killies and 7-10 days for
rainbows.
• Fry can be transferred upon hatching.
• JAVA moss for hiding places.
• Most “mop” fry eat artemia first…
Peat Spawners
Introduction
• This group is made up entirely of Killifish.
Cynolebias, Pterolebias, Nothobranchus and
Fundulopanchax.
• These are the fish we hear referred to "true
annual" killies.
Cynolebias nigripinnis
How it works
• In the wild, they have adapted to life in correlation with
the rainy seasons.
• They hatch, grow and spawn before the next dry season
comes along, during which their watery world as they
know it dries up and they die.
• The eggs are able to survive in this drying period
(months, or sometimes years.)
• When the next rainy season comes along: life anew.
Tank Setup
• Set up a 5 gallon tank for a trio of fish.
• In it should be a bowl that contains about 2" of peat
moss. Available at most home centers.
• Sometimes a bubbling
sponge filter and some
plants or a mop
for the female to hide in
will help.
Spawning Action
• Feed the fish well, but away from the spawning
container.
• The male will display himself above the peat moss.
• When the female is interested in spawning she will
approach male.
• They will enter peat, she lays a few eggs and he
fertilizes them. (This continues several times a daily for
many days.)
Spawning continued
• Fresh peat is needed about once per week.
• The old peat is gently squeezed and placed into
some newspaper, lightly covered with a plastic
bag overnight.
• The dried peat is stored in a zipped sandwich
bag, in a dark place at a correct temperature.
How Long to Wait?
• Check the charts in the killifish books for
temperature and drying /incubation time. (It’s
species specific.)
• It can take weeks, or months, maybe years…
• Incorrect temperatures can cause poorly
developed fry or low hatching rates.
At Last…
• When it is time to hatch the fry, the parents are
most likely dead. (Bummer!)
• Wet the peat, then submerge it in a couple
inches of water in a plastic shoe box.
• Cover lightly to shade the eggs.
• With in a few hours, fry can be seen popping up
over the layer of peat.
Are we done?
• Remove them with a pipette and put into another
shoebox with a few inches of water and some peat moss
or a floating plant.
• After about 24 hours, the peat can be re-dried for
another two weeks.
• Try to hatch more fry. This can be repeated 1-2 more
times. Feed fry often and well.
• Because these fish live such short lives, they grow
quickly.