Clown Killies In My Community?

[magpie]

Hi there,

I am starting up a new tank and am trying to work out my future inhabitants. I love killies but am wary of them because in my old tank many years ago I had a pair of Aphyosemion Australe and they, or at least the female ( I caught her with a tail hanging out of her mouth), ate my Cardinal Tetras. It really surprised me at the time as she was barely bigger than them.

Anyway, I assumed that most killies would be similar so I wrote them off for anything other than a species tank, or at least one with larger fish. Now I'm reading that clown killies might be ok, and I need more fish for he top of my 65 gallon, 3ft long tank.

I would also like to have cardinals and some forktail rainbows. Would they be Ok with these guys? I've read that clowns can be shy so would the constant movement of the forktails bother them?

I will have it planted and do plan on havIng floating plants also. Are there plants that are better for them?

And lastly, how many? I've read at least 6.

Very open to suggestions, even if it's another killie species that might work better for me.

Thanks!

 

[Kelly-Jo]

I have a golden wonder kilifish (Aplochelius Lineatus) sometimes it's labelled as a Yellow Panchax. He's in my community tank and I have never ever any problems with him. He is actually quite a timid fish and is usually the victim rather than the instigator to any chasing etc. I would reccomend these little guys as I can't comment on clown killies (though they are beautiful!)

 

[GaryE]

I've never had an australe chase another fish, let alone eat one. That was a surprise to me. Wow. You had a weird individual fish. Kelly-Jo posting about golden wonders underlines that - they are one of the non typical killies, with a wide, predatory mouth. Hers are timid, which is what I would expect, but for killie keepers like me, they are a rough fish. It's all relative. BTW 'kill' means 'small stream" in old Dutch - killifish has nothing to do with killing.

Forktails are hardwater fish, and cardinals and clown killies are softwater. They could be combined, but I'd expect the ann to be bullied and to hide. Forktails behave like lampeye killies, a group clown killies would be wired to deal with. I'd expect it to work out, except for the hiding issue.

 

[magpie]

Well, strange. If I hadn't seen her with a tail out of her mouth, I'd second guess myself. You think the clowns would be bullied by the forktails?

I had read actually that the golden wonder was one that was more likely to eat smaller fish... I guess you never really know, then. I know that killies weren't named because they kill, but my experience was as such!

Do you think there's a better killie choice for my mix then? I don't want the clowns to be stressed and hiding all the time. But then you say that they'd be 'wired' to handle he forktail behavior... Do you mean that their activity wouldn't stress them unless bullied all the time?

Decisions, decisions. Also, my water is soft, and I don't remember reading that the forktails liked hard water... Hmmmm.

 

[GaryE]

Well, strange. If I hadn't seen her with a tail out of her mouth, I'd second guess myself. You think the clowns would be bullied by the forktails?

I had read actually that the golden wonder was one that was more likely to eat smaller fish... I guess you never really know, then. I know that killies weren't named because they kill, but my experience was as such!

Do you think there's a better killie choice for my mix then? I don't want the clowns to be stressed and hiding all the time. But then you say that they'd be 'wired' to handle he forktail behavior... Do you mean that their activity wouldn't stress them unless bullied all the time?

Decisions, decisions. Also, my water is soft, and I don't remember reading that the forktails liked hard water... Hmmmm.

 

[GaryE]

I don't doubt it, but I haven't seen it myself. I have seen golden wonders eat other fish though. Goldens behave differently from most killies, - Aplocheilus are much like the not very popular Epiplatys (which I love). Your annulatus are relatives of Epis, but way smaller.
When I saw wired, I mean they have fish with similar behavior (active, quick moving) in their habitat, and they should be cool with forktails. They might be spooked, but I doubt they'd be directly bullied. I'd try it.

A lot of rainbows come from soft water. Forktails are usually furcatus, which come from a pH of 7.6. I have always taken that to mean harder water too. I bred them in medium hard water, so they should adapt as long as you don't have Amazon soft water.

 

[magpie]

Yes, I am just hearing more about the forktails, in my fish spreadsheet I have their pH range listed as 6.5 - 7.5 (not sure where I got that) but am reading more now that they like a higher pH, and mine is 7.2 right now, probably going down as I add more driftwood. In my prior tank (same city) it was usually 6.8 to 7.0. And we have very soft water.

So I probably shouldn't do the forktails, as much as I like them as a unique and active schooler. Oh well.

 

[GaryE]

Look for normani killies - lampeyes (Poropanchax normani). They are dirt cheap when they come here, weirdly pretty in the right light, easy to breed and found in nature with annulatus. If you keep a school in an angled light, you can see their neon blue eyes from thirty feet away.
It's one of the few fish-farmed killies.

 

[magpie]

Thanks so much for your input!

 

[magpie]

Ok, I have changed from the forktail to the spotted blue eyes (pseudomugil gertrudae) because they're better suited to my water (soft, neutral).
I have also changed to rummynose tetras because I was told cardinals prefer more acidic water than I have.

Still would love the clown killies but don't want them to be shy or hiding all the time. Just how shy are they?