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Killies?


Callatya

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Where did you get that killie??

I work in a pet store and we tried and tried to get australe or any other killies - no luck. I did end up with a pair of giant gold panchax however. One killed the other and it grew really big till I had to give it back to the pet store. Beautiful fish, very hardy and good to have a top swimmer for the tank but not real friendly.

Lis

I got my first pair of killies last week. They're Aphyosemion Australe (golden lyretail).
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Tell me about it!!

If I can even *get* Killifish I would be in heaven!!

Kevkoi from SLS was suppose to be getting some. But decided not this time. I believe there are some at SLS to see who is interested. If there is an interest then may become a part of their regualr shipment. Remember SLS transport interstate.

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Thanks Phil, I have been urging my boss to consider getting his fish from Bay. We got a shipment of bettas from another supplier recently and they were all in pretty bad shape. Karen i'm also sorely tempted by the idea of keeping killifish. Having just done a huge clean of my 'community tank of death' I am ready to re-stock so may look into it. I have 3 female bettas and 2 pristella tetras needing some new tank friends. Lis

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Hello all. Good to see my OZ Killifish forum getting a mention :D Feel free to drop by, we don't bite :D

A very quick summary.

Killifish are generally categorised into one of four sections:

African Annuals : eg. Nothobranchius sp. unfortunately almost impossible to source in australia these days. Eggs need to be stored in peat for weeks to months.

African semi-annuals:

Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax etc. 4cm-8cm very colourful fish. Spawn in plants and mops. eggs can be stored in water for ~14days or peat for a few weeks. eggs can be left in the tank and fry to fend for themselves. Some species will eat the fry, some wont.

Aplocheilus : golden wonder. often found in LFS. less colourful and generally larger.

South American Annuals : Simpsonichthys. lay eggs in a deep layer of peat and stored for a few months. a few species available in Oz.

South American semi-annuals : Rivulus. unsure if available in aus.

Annuals live in seasonal bodies of water, dieing after one season leaving eggs to hatch next time the body fills with water.

Semi-annuals generally live for a few years in bodies of water the rarely dry up.

Dean

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Pt 2. - Killifish in Australia. As you've found LFS rarely stock killifish. When the do it is usually the dullish golden wonder. If they do stock Aphyosemion or Fundulopanchax they tend to sell for $40 a pair. The short reason for this is they are hard to mass produce and the market is very small so most fish come from hobby breeders through two large mark-ups to reach $40 a pair. Most people interested in Killifish soon find they need to get "in-the-know" and find a killi breeder or killi club. Once they do, the refuse to pay such high prices when they can get a better range from other killi keepers much cheaper. ...the cycle continues... Killifish are easy to transport and ship which adds to the easy of swapping fish with people interstate. Fish can be sent in australia via express post for around $10 for a few pairs (as Abbey has found :D). eggs can also be sent even cheaper. Most killifish you will find in killi circles in australia are the closely related Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax genuses. They come in wide range of colors and patterns but generally have similar requirements. To get some fish I can point you to sources in Melb/Syd/Bris/Canberra or you can get them shipped from these states to most major cities. I'll post some pictures of my fish and put up a breeders notice to let you know what I've got. almost forgot : there is a club in sydney called the Sydney Killifish Group that meet once a month to talk killifish and swap fish. They also keep a database of keepers and stock to try to limit the loss of species that has happened over the last few years. Dean

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Assuming they are allowed to be shipped to WA I don't see any problem. Express post is by air an dincludes perth so fish may be a go-er if not eggs would be fine. I'll check if anyone has shipped to WA. There is at least one killi keep I know in WA, I'll have a chat to him. Dean

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because of our state QT laws all fish need to be inspected even though they are on the allowable list.. the only avenue for that is the airport so they insist on air freight. I was hoping the eggs might be a different story.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've been told that no eggs, plants or snails are allowed :unsure: . And yes, fish must be sent air frieght and arranged to be inspect by quarantine. I'll let you know if I find anyone with fish available in WA.

Dean

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Oh that just bites! :( I knew about the snails and plants, but I was hoping fish eggs would be ok since I can get fish. Stupid state *kicks WA* I can do the airfreight thing.. have done lots of times, but the cost is just so high. If you do come across anyone in WA with Killies I'd very much love to get some. Thanks for that Dean.

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