Heterandria Formosa - Suitable For 25L?

[Sporen]

Hi, just wondered if anyone could offer me some more information on these little fish specifically if they would be suitable for a 25L 12" cube? If so how many would I be able to happily house in a tank this size and what would be a suitable ratio of males to females etc? I am planning on heavily planting the tank as I understand they appreciate lots of cover with some floating plants etc. Any tips from people who have kept these fish would be much appreciated.

 

[nmonks]

Yes should be fine.

Lots of floating plants essential: hornwort and Indian fern would be ideal. An unheated windowsill tank would be a good option so you'd have some algae as well as cool temperatures. The usual two females per male is recommended, but males are as rare as hen's teeth so you might not have the luxury.

Not hard to keep otherwise.

Cheers, Neale

Hi, just wondered if anyone could offer me some more information on these little fish specifically if they would be suitable for a 25L 12" cube? If so how many would I be able to happily house in a tank this size and what would be a suitable ratio of males to females etc? I am planning on heavily planting the tank as I understand they appreciate lots of cover with some floating plants etc. Any tips from people who have kept these fish would be much appreciated.

 

[helterskelter]

These are the seconed smallest livebearer in the world. Males are lucky to reach 15mm where females get to 24-25mm.
Very hardy little fish and thrive in hardwater, mine are kept between 64-74f.
They give birth to 1 or 2 babies a day for a 10 day period then stop for 3 weeks or so.

Getting these is quite difficualt, but if you intrested in the UK there are many acution's where these do pop up.
March 27 in Kettering is the BLA's auction
May 22nd in Basingstoke is A of A auction
June 5th in Redditch is a join charity auction

I've seen these fish most years at all of these auctions, and their is usually several pairs for sale.
Also several members on this site has them, as i do. so you may be able to local someone willing to post you a few pairs.

 

[OldMan47]

For a long time the least killies, Heterandria formosa, were reputed to be the smallest livebearers period. Although smaller have been found, these guys will thrive in a tiny tank. With a nice clump of java moss, I would have no trouble maintaining a breeding colony in a 5 gallon, 19 litres, tank. These guys are a joy to breed and raise but don't forget to give them a protein rich diet. I started my own colony with fry so small that I simply had to trust the person who told me there were fry in the auction bag. After feeding my invisible fish with microworms and powdered flake for about a month, I was actually able to get a few pictures of the developing fish. These are simple pictures of my Heterandria.(male then female)

Finally a picture of a female with a pygmy cory for some perspective.

 

[Sporen]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have been lucky enough to spot these for sale in my LFS so I think I will make a trip there over the weekend so see if there are both males and females available. All that remains is to get the tank out of the garage, give it a good clean and begin setting it up. Luckily I have plenty of cycled filter media ready to go so shouldn't have to wait too long before I can get the set up finished and get a group of these interesting little fish. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[OldMan47]

Congratulations. Finding Heterandria formosa in a LFS is indeed a rare happening. Although I maintain a colony of them, I never expect to find any in a LFS. They are simply not popular enough for my local shops to carry them. As far as I know, they are only available locally from hobbyists like me who have passed them from one person to the next and then maintained a breeding colony.