Wild Nut Posted August 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2013 (edited) Yeah they had the Cap Lopez for a while now. I would have got some but would rather spend what money I have on slightly different looking species. Just made my juveniles a mini floating spawning mop. I noticed some of them hanging around at the surface now so figured I would give them some more places to explore. Of course one of them is already up there investigating it. This is my quite modest australe hatching set-up at the moment. I made some improvements on the original and am very happy with the results. The 2ft tank fits everything in there including my BBS hatchery. Future plans are to get a much bigger version custom built that would allow me to rear multiple species, but for now this will do Edited August 7, 2013 by Wild Nut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forever_and_a_day Posted August 7, 2013 Report Share Posted August 7, 2013 now that is the epitome of all-in-one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_97 Posted August 7, 2013 Report Share Posted August 7, 2013 Awesome little setup. I`m not allowed anymore tanks, maybe this is a solution. Mum and Dad will never see it coming, MUAHAHAHA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2013 *lol* When you are broke and limited on space I found you have to be inventive. My ideal set-up would be a 150cm version of this tank with more cubes for bigger fry, and wide enough that I could then fit the plastic egg hatching containers in behind. However, based on the growth rate of this lot I think they are going to need an upgrade soon. Once some of them get big enough not to be eaten by their parents I will move them over into that tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 Did a bit of a tank change around and everyone was all excited by it. I didn't think moving a plant about an inch and putting in a plastic worm cone would be cause for celebration but I guess for killifish it is. I want to get some more plants for their tank. I am thinking frogbit and another clump of anubias. The bolbitis is doing well in there and has been unfurling some new fronds as it gets light in from my window during the afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddzvk Posted August 8, 2013 Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 gorgeous photos im so jealous! what is with his extensions i swear they are always getting longer. he looks pretty pleased with his tank set up :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 I am pretty certain that when there are no other males or fin nipping fish in the tank, the extensions do get longer. I removed their floating spawning mop since I am not going to be making an effort to collect any eggs for the next couple of months. Not that it mattered as when I looked in the female was half-way up the bottom spawning mop with the male in hot pursuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Here's a couple photos of my poliaki female. I think she has a subtle beauty all her own. She is hard to get good photos of as she likes to watch me front on or swims off just as I am about to get the shot. This poor female has been in about a dozen different tanks since her male died. She does get rather bullied by the other two so I am hoping she can some day have a tank of her own with a partner or pair. I've had her just under a year now and she is one of my favourite fish in my whole fish room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddzvk Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 im just gonna hope my australe boy gets some extensions like those..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 I imagine he would. I think my male australe is living the dream of many Lots of food, lots of sex and it's all free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 Picked up a 25x25x30cm tank at Exotic Aquatic today and moved the biggest fry into this. The smaller fry have now all been put into their old 20x20x20 tank. Bit bummed as it looks like I am getting quite a number of males. Once these two groups are grown and hopefully moved on to pastures new, I will try tweaking with the conditioners in the main tank (mainly temperature) and see if that has any effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 Here is my new grow-out tank. I've been meaning to do a rough head count on the fry I have but they are so fast I think I am just counting the same few fish. I've noticed my male and female (in particular) have been getting more black scaling over their backs and head. I wonder if this is just because they are lower quality stock, or because of their diet. Their fry have it as well and I can't remember my previous ones being so dark on top. Here is a quick snap of the male looking dapper as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2013 Killifish fry/juveniles (not sure when you are supposed to make that transition ) Just spent the last three hours cleaning my elderly neighbour's lounge room with her, and when I came back the sun had perfectly lit up my fry grow-out. So of course I took photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Males are really sprouting. I think I do have some females in this tank. Not sure about the other tank as they are still too small to tell. It's going to be really hard to choose a single pair to keep from each grow-out. They are just so friendly! I think this is a female These two were sparring in the moments before this photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killiguy Posted August 17, 2013 Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 Your doing a great job.Australae are said to be a beginners fish but I dont agree.Having kept and bred maybe 60 killi species over the decades these can cause troubles for many people.But if you can breed clarets with your success then these will be a piece of cake for you You should have a crack at the blue gularis,my favourite killi and quite challenging at times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 *lol* Previously I sucked at hatching/rearing any killifish eggs at all. This is the first time I have actually been successful. I did have a pair of blue gularis and they were absolutely stunning. Sadly they seemed to pick up something bacterial and died not very long after I got them I have told my mum that she is to get a pair of them rather than the macrostoma she wanted (she purchases the fish and then I do all the grunt work). I showed her some pictures and told her they had a personality just like my australe and I think I convinced her. This is the parent australe tank tonight. The light is only on a slant because I was an idiot and should have put the breeder box on the back rather than the side of the tank. Going to rectify that tomorrow as it is making me crazy looking at it. I chucked in a few more plants and the breeder box houses some of the bigger juveniles just because I didn't want to crowd the grow-out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted August 17, 2013 Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 We have two pair of australe at work... I'm about to rearrange some furniture in the new house again to fit in a small killi fish set up. :rolleyes:/> Awesome little fish, can't wait to get my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 17, 2013 Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 The fry are looking great. Very healthy looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2013 You won't regret it Yan. I have so much fun with my pair. They are so friendly and always curious about what I am doing. Thanks Bettarazzi, I am really happy with how they are going. The ones in the breeder box have already settled in. Unfortunately, they are still too small to go in safely with their parents. However, one benefit to using this box is that they have a slow acclimatisation to the water conditions in the main tank, and then I can just add them in when they are big enough not to be harassed. I'm looking at getting some flame moss and peacock moss. Going to use most of it in my mum's unimaculata tank (I want to cover some terracotta tunnels I have on order) and whatever is left over I am going to put on my moss tiles and put in the killifish tank. I have decided my killifish tanks are going to be my plant/moss propagating tanks. I already have bolbitis, anubias nana, mini java fern and some sort of unidentified moss (think it's native) growing nicely. This will be a nice contrast to my wild betta tanks that are better suited to growing snails and algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Killifish tank is quickly becoming killifish jungle. They absolutely love having so many plants in there but I hope they aren't stupid enough to get caught up on the moss tiles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 I took these a day or so ago but thought I would show how the killies are progressing. They all now live in a shallow 45cm tank as I couldn't stand the noise that HOB breeder box made. I managed to drop two juveniles on the floor during the move and got them before they could flop off somewhere. Then two mananged to get into the water section of my 'bain marie' grow-out. Most likely it was the same two! I have decided moving killifish juveniles and fry is not something you do late at night when you are tired and just want to get through it in a hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 26, 2013 Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Wow! They're looking great! Love that last photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 Thanks I am quite pleased with how they are turning out. The original pair are thriving. They spend most of their day either in the spawning mop or swimming around the tank together. The female looks like a killifish blimp but since I have cut their food intake down, I think she is more eggy than fat. This is a sort of bad shot of their tank. I have put in some peacock moss tiles and also some subwassertang at the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillieOrCory Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 These are looking awesome! Keep up the great work. They are not as easy as what is said sometimes, I agree with Doug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Thanks Serkan. They seem to be thriving and even the youngest ones are catching up to the others growth wise. They don't seem as susceptible to 'stunting' as betta fry are. I have just been doing 25% water changes every second day with water taken from the main tank and they are still growing like weeds. It is going to be hard to select a pair to keep as they are all so friendly. As an aside, I got this lovely photo of my poliaki female yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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