Help

[mickyg]

Hello i seam to be doing something wrong as i have tried a few times with Killies but they wont play fair and hatch
I have tried most things i have read both on the provided instructions and on other forums, like waiting for hatch date. different temps, bubbles, water depth but nowt seems to happen i have tried drying out the peat too and leaving it couple of weeks then retrying making sure i use tank water.
I really like killies and would love to add some to my tanks in the cellar.
I have in the past got from ebay from the far east so i was wondering if this is anything to do with it maybe i need to try a uk bassed one any ideas if anyone knows a supplier over here?
Thanks in advance Mick :

 

[Biulu]

Have you tried shaking the peat with the eggs in a jar or something? What kind of killie is it supposed to be?

 

[BigC]

Again to re-iterate Eleanor's questions. What species are we dealing with here.
Obtaining eggs from the far east suggests you have annual sp. and I would hazard to guess they are from the genus Nothobranchius, but I/we need to know the species. Nothobranchius

To go with this genre you really need to have at hand a tubs, magnifying lens, torch, pipettes, newly hatched brineshrimp or paramiecium/infusoria all ready for the hatch.

I will offer you more when you tell me the species....I hope it's not Rachovii. lol
Regards
C

 

[mickyg]

Hi thanks for the reply the last ones i tried were Nothobranchius guentheri. I didnt shake them in a jar but did give em a good stir with the airhose tube.
I have always got hatched shrimp handy as i breed other fish and at the moment my Angels are laying every other week.
Thanks in advance Mick

 

[BigC]

Hi Mick,
Sorry to come across so patronising there.
N guentheri are one of the easier species of Nothos to breed, hatch and rear.
Couple of areas of concern here.

The eggs are from the Far East, no alarm bells there as they are usually quite adept at this and if they say there's eggs in the peat there usually is.
OK re-dry your peat to the consistency of pipe tobacco leave it on a paper towel to drain and dry.
Check for eggs, hard I know but with a good lens you will be able to detect the eggs pretty easily. You are looking for a tiny amber sphere, if they are ready to hatch you will be able to see the gold ring surrounding the iris of the eye. If you cannot detect this aspect then the eggs may still have a little way to go in their diapause stages, so rebag (sealed) and store at a nice warm temp for another 2-4 weeks, then check and re-wet (with cooler water 65'f) the peat once more.
Now these fry are fairly small so you may have missed them first time around. Use a small marg tub floated in a tank, tilt it if poss so that the peat drifts to one end (this will give you a better chance of detecting the fry against the white plastic of the tub base).
Also they need to feed almost immediately on hatch,(GUE are large enough to take BBS from the outset) so if there was no food available then they may have perished already, just a thought as it has happened to me in the early days.
On hatch, use a pipette to collect any fry and place in a clean tub with same water stats and start to feed, do not feed in the egg container.
Keep me informed as to how you get on, I have only got Rachovi on at the moment but they are a little problematic but I can always put you in contact with someone who will supply you with eggs in the UK.
Regards
C

 

[mickyg]

Hi and thanks for the great advice i feel like a real newbie with Killies and it goes to show that we can all learn something new and not to take this great hobby of ours for granted. It is allways likely to humble u sooner or later lol i know it has me loads of times.
I spose thats why i wanted to have a go with Killies new methods to learn and i do still find it great that you can get live fish from a bag of peat. Well other ppl can just not me lol.
I think now that if i have missed any chance of this batch revealing anything i have tried drying a couple of times the hatch date was for March the 7th. Maybe like you say they have hatched and i just didnt see them which would be a great shame if i let them die. How small are they by the way in relation to something like a grain of rice or normal fry.
I am determined to get some hatched because they are such a lovely and fascinating species group of fish that for the life of me i cant understand why more ppl dont keep thats if they can get em to hatch of course lol.
I would be very grateful if you did know any ppl in the uk that could supply some eggs as i have plenty of spare room in my cellar if the things would play and hatch i think i could be bitten by the bug.
Thank you Mick

 

[BigC]

Nothobranchius rachovi fry are smaller than GUE. (I have bred GUE many times in the past) So to give you some indication of the scale of things, here is a RAC fry on a medicine spoon.

I will get back to you when I look up a few contacts, I take it you are from the UK.
You may be interested to know that there are a great many more people keeping Killifish than you realise and you may be interested in joining the BKA (British Killifish Association) We would welcome any new members.
Speak soon
Regards
C

 

[mickyg]

Hi BigC thanks for you help i am from the northwest of England and i am a free member of BKA but the membership is a bit high i think at £22 i know im just being tight lol.
The picture of the fry is a great help at least i know what im looking for now.
Thank you once again for the help Mick

 

[amandalsmlns]

dont know if this helps but it was alot easier for me to see the eyes once they were underwater once i thought mine were ready i put them under water and waited and could see there golden eyes shining under my flashlight so left them in for 8 hours so far started with fifty eggersi red eggs have fifteen fry so far hoping for more in the morning but as far as i know you can wet them several times without harming them but in my experience it is easier to see the eyes under water just an amatuer though