Killies on Camera!

I just found out that there are Youtube videos of Killifish!! This means we get to see other people's Killies in action!!

Here is a little video of the big guy of Killifish, Fundulopanchax Sjoestedti (or Blue Gularis).

Feeding Killifish

This post applies to adult killifish - a post on feeding killifiish fry will follow at a later date. Adult fishes have mouths big enough to eat all the foods below, babies need a slightly different approach.

So what can you feed adult killifish?

Firstly:

• Live food. Such as:
• Daphnia
• Bloodworm
• Tubifex
• Brineshrimp (also called artemia or "sea monkeys"!)

I *love* to watch killifish preying on live food around the tank. I can't help finding it amusing seeing a little solitary daphnia hopping about in the tank that has been missed during the main feed, and the look of glee the killifish will make as it goes in for the feast.

I'm sure you will come across someone you know who finds it a little mean to feed live food to fish. It's nature. It's what happens in the wild.

• Frozen food in "blister packs" such as
• Daphnia
• Bloodworm 
• Tubifex
•  Brineshrimp

You can usually get live and frozen foods from a good fish shop / petshop selling fish. You will usually see a big fridge with little bags of live food, and they cost around 30p each. Frozen food is usually in big freezers in the shop and they cost around £2.00 each.

You can also now buy live and frozen fish foods online. I have yet to try this so cannot comment on how good a service you get, although I am sure it is most convenient.

The best nutritious, energy filled food you can feed killifish is live food. Live food quickly gets fish into breeding condition. You will notice they get more colourful and lively when fed live food.

Beware of polluting the water when feeding live and frozen food. I tend to pour out as much of the water as I can from the little bags of live food before adding it to my tank. A mini sieve is useful for this!! Similarly with frozen food I will "defrost" it a little before hand so I am putting in the actual bits of food, rather than a block of ice with the food within it. This is just personal choice though. So long as you keep up your water changes you can minimise any pollution from the foods.

Next:

• Flake
  
• Freeze dried foods 

Flake is a good basic food that can always be relied upon. It gives fish all the nutrients they need. However a diet of pure flake will not give the "bloom" effect that live and frozen foods will give to a fish.

I have tried feeding freeze dried foods to no avail - my fish didn't like it. Fussy? Or maybe they were used to a diet of tasty bloodworm etc. Who can blame them when you can choose between a tasty pizza or brown rice? Hmmmm.

I'm sure there are other sources of foods out there. If you have an important food you feed your killifish I'd love to hear and you can make a comment.

TIP: Buy a mini sieve for serving up your live and frozen food in a cleaner way from a local supermarket in the cooking utensils section. Add block of food to sieve, pour over water in the sink, and you get rid of the dirty 'ice' water. Pour a bag of live food over the sieve to drain away the dirty 'bag' water, and drop the mush of live food into the tank.

TIP: Keep frozen fish food wrapped in a plastic bag, at the back of the freezer (noone will know its there!)

TIP: Keep live fish food outside in cooler months

Some Killifish Definitions

So you already know what a killifish is or you wouldn't be here. However, I was interested in the actual definition of what makes a killifish a killifish and how they are perceived as such in the world.

Some definitions that came up when I googled killifish definition:

• small mostly marine warm-water carp-like schooling fishes; used as bait or aquarium fishes or in mosquito control (bait??!!)

• A killifish is any of various tiny, oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish

• Any of a number of tiny fish in the Cyprinodontiformes order of ray-finned fish

• Egg laying toothcarps. (Compare Livebearers). There are two types of Killifish, the Annuals and the non-Annuals

• A very beautiful group of fish, which can be quite hard to find.

• These are fish with a low life-span, often only for a year. Sods law, they are also some of the prettiest.

Huge Welcome

Firstly a welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Killifish blog. It's a pleasure to have you here. I hope you find some new information in the up and coming posts, or just enjoy having a read about your favourite killifishes!

Killifish (or Killies as they are affectionately known) are my all time favourite fish. Killies are different. They are cool. They are not your average tropical fish. They are amazing to watch. Their breeding techniques vary massively between species and it is possible to breed the majority in your own home. Difficulty varies between species. They come in many different shapes and colours as you will learn in upcoming posts.

One of my favourites, Epiplatys annulatus, Clown Killifish or Rocket Panchax

Photo from Petshop-zoomania.

Look out for future posts about the Epiplatys annulatus. For now I will leave you to admire their stunning design. The black and white stripes of the body, colourful tail and bright blue eyes. A beautiful slim little fish, and very shy so they need lots of plant cover.