Some folks new to this hobby of ours will at some point come across a picture of a highly coloured fish sparkling with hues of metallic blue and green subfused with yellows and reds, they will be agast at how such fish can posess such an array of colouration and would one day think of how do I get my hands on something like that.
Then they would see the word Killi, and this is where they loose interest thinking of only the latter day meaning and the verb to kill. Nothing could be farther from the truth and below I will attempt in a foreshortened version give the novice some kind of insight into this fabulous and interesting side of the hobby.
Orgin of the name Killifish
It is widly believed that their common name "Killi/s" originates from the Dutch settlers who emigrated to the US in the seventeenth century, loosely it's meaning translates as small channels or ditches (kills) that were previalent in their home country, hence the name Killi-fish.....fish of the kills. Killifish can be found in temperate and brackish geographical locations throught the planet except for Australia, Antarctica, & Northern Europe. They can range in size from under an inch all the way up to ten inches or more. And are renouned for their diversity in colour, finnage and peculiar breeding habits.
Killifish Types
Killifish can be loosely banded into one of three of the following catagories
(1) Non Annuals
(2) Semi Annuals
(3) True Annuals
Aquaria
Lighting & Aeration
Water Chemistry
Feeding
Breeding
Rearing of Fry
Diseases
Acquisition of stock
To be continued...
Then they would see the word Killi, and this is where they loose interest thinking of only the latter day meaning and the verb to kill. Nothing could be farther from the truth and below I will attempt in a foreshortened version give the novice some kind of insight into this fabulous and interesting side of the hobby.
It is widly believed that their common name "Killi/s" originates from the Dutch settlers who emigrated to the US in the seventeenth century, loosely it's meaning translates as small channels or ditches (kills) that were previalent in their home country, hence the name Killi-fish.....fish of the kills. Killifish can be found in temperate and brackish geographical locations throught the planet except for Australia, Antarctica, & Northern Europe. They can range in size from under an inch all the way up to ten inches or more. And are renouned for their diversity in colour, finnage and peculiar breeding habits.
Killifish can be loosely banded into one of three of the following catagories
(1) Non Annuals
(2) Semi Annuals
(3) True Annuals
To be continued...
