My Killifish 'fundulopanchax Gardneri Jos Plateau' Journal

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Boyden

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St Columb, Cornwall
The Idea
 
Well, I originally stumbled across 'Tropical Fish Forum' looking for some Killifish information.  Gathering information on 'fundulopanchax Gardneri Jos Plateau' has not been easy but I've got there in the end.
 
After some deliberation I decided to purchase the eggs of 'fundulopanchax Gardneri Jos Plateau' via eBay.  There are risk's with purchasing eggs this way.  For example, the eggs may not be fertile or the eggs could be from a different SP. than thought by the seller amongst other things.  The best way to avoid a situation like this seemed to be bombarding the poor seller with as many questions as possible to ensure the seller knows what they're selling and to ensure you get any of the finer details you need.  There's no harm in bugging them after all they want your bid :).
 
Now, I had read that some people hatch the eggs of many Killifish by simply placing the peat that contains the eggs into a container of aged water at the appropriate temperature and 'fundulopanchax Gardneri Jos Plateau' is no exception.  This method didn't really appeal to me.  it seemed like checking for fungal or damaged eggs would be hard and seeing the fry on hatching would also be a challenge.  So I've decided to order some petri dishes and cotton liners to place eggs that I have taken from the peat into.  This should make spotting the fry in a small space easy and in turn limit the stress I put them under when transferring them to the raising tubs.  I know tubs sounds weird but I'm certain after my research that they will survive better for the first few days this way as opposed to their tank (already aged and ready to go when they're the appropriate size).  Pippets/basters at the ready!! :p
 
The next part is ensuring I can feed them.  Infasuria seems a good start, leading onto brine shrimp and a formulated food the seller of my eggs suggested he uses for his fry.  Well that's the basics of the food sorted.
 
Out of all of the information I've read so far the part I'm most concerned about is treating my eggs with an anti-fungal/anti-bacterial.  All the information seems to contradict the last I read and I'm very new to the hobby in general so the thought of using chemicals of any description scares the bajeebers out of me.  That said I am confident that you can achieve a reasonable hatch rate if you pay attention and remove any risky looking eggs ASAP without the aid of chemicals.
 
Things I've had to purchase
 
  • The eggs of 'fundulopanchax Gardneri Jos Plateau' also called the Steel Blue
  • Petri dishes
  • Untreated cotton wool make-up pads
  • Pippets and basters (I'm not sure of the sizes)
  • Plastic tubs
What I hope to achieve
 
I'm hoping that not only will my hatching be successful at all but that if I take the time to hatch this way I'll be rewarded with a higher hatch rate.  Once they hatch they're average life span in quality conditions is 3 years so I'd like to sell the brightly coloured males and keep a few females to breed with an unrelated male at a later date.  There is no hope to earn money from the fish but if I have a reasonable hatch rate then I'd need a plan and recouping some of the costs seems like a good idea.  After a little reading even the males should do well in a peaceful community tank but I think I may have to test that myself before I'd say for certain.  However, if this is true it does mean that they will make a lovely colourful addition to a community tank that people are prepared to buy from they're LFS.
 
I really do hope i haven't bitten off more than I can chew.  I'm about to add a tank rack to a walk-in cupboard we have to keep species separate as I learn.  This decision was made originally because my current community tank will soon be vastly over stocked when my current fish are bigger (a mistake quite a few make and I'm now in that statistic :/ ).  However, I am starting to really enjoy the nuts and bolts of this hobby :).
 
Wish me luck!  I'll keep this updated as I go and I'll also put up pictures of everything as I go.  If my success doesn't help someone then my failure will :)
 
OK.  So the postman arrives this morning whilst I'm work and the stuff I need is coming together.
 
The Killifish eggs are much smaller than I expected so dividing the eggs from the peat could be fun and games but we will see.
 
IMG_2068_zpsd8b151d0.jpg

 
Next was the dried food formula.  Much finer than I thought and the seller was the same company that sold me my Killifish eggs and he tells me he feeds his fry on it.  Only part of their diet but its here :)  I'm going to assume that this is best left to soak and fed using a pippet?  Trial and error I suppose.
 
IMG_2070_zps89823ba7.jpg

 
The last thing to arrive was the Brine Shrimp eggs.  I've stored them in the fridge for now.  I'm sort of excited to give the brine shrimp a go.  Maybe I'll run a trial before I actually need them just to know I have the knack of it.
 
IMG_2071_zpsafd3a080.jpg

 
Well it's to late to back out now!!!  The gear is arriving and more importantly the eggs are here so as soon as the petri dishes and bits arrive we're off!!
 
:good:
 
Well done mate. A good start! :) I'm looking forward to reading about your progress.
 
Ok, so my eggs are 'eyed' (I'd love to put a picture up but the eggs are tiny!).  
 
My initial idea of removing the eggs from the peat to put in the petri dishes has gone out of the window given the eggs size.  So I've decided to divide the peat evenly into each dish.  I've used some aged water from my community tank but I've got to be honest, my confidence isn't high for these.  I'm hoping to see some results soon but I'll play it by ear and see how I get on.
 
The dishes and the eggs ready to get to work:
 
IMG_2078_zpsa9dae9f6.jpg

 
The eggs and peat divided into the dishes:
IMG_2079_zpsb0d66594.jpg

 
The dishes filled with aged water
IMG_2080_zps15b1b4d6.jpg

 
The dishes have been placed on top of a tank in my 'fish room' to achieve a decent hatching temperature.
 
Fingers crossed is works but if it doesn't I'll try again.  Wish me luck!!
 
:good:
 
Very interesting technique.  Following this closely and hoping for a good hatch rate.
 
Very interestin im putting a spawning mop in with my orange australe this weekend see how many eggs I get
 
Just a quick update.  Unfortunately there are no signs of hatching just yet.  I'm still hopeful though.  I think a magnifying glass is on my list of purchases for the future though, it's very hard to check the eggs for fungus etc with the naked eye.
 
:good:
 
Boyden said:
... I think a magnifying glass is on my list of purchases for the future though, it's very hard to check the eggs for fungus etc with the naked eye.
 
I would recommend you get one that is meant for crafts with a stand so it keeps your hands free.  Not sure if your saw this post, Ever Needed An Extra Pair Of Hands...?, I used this the other day to tie plants to objects and it was very useful.
 
You already should see healthy eggs if exist, sorry to tell you bad news...
 
Can you send me a link to the source from which you bought the stuff?
 

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