Killifish breeding: Start of the season 2019

We just spent last week cleaning tanks (with boiling hot water), buying a few new tanks and shoe boxes, etc. We kept a few pairs from last season, and have put them in 2 1/2 gallon tanks with mops. We also made a wish list of species we want to raise. On the way are eggs of Aphyosemion exiguum, new to me, and Aphyosemion striatum, which Sue and I have been breeding since 1970 in our first apartment. We will also get more A. splendopleure (Tiko green) from Bill Hodgekiss, some Fp. sjoestedti from Jim Kostich , E. dageti  from Martinez Moreno, and a few others.

Me, our son Phil, Sue, and Phil and Rachel's daughters.
Photo by Rachel.

                                               

Our son Chris, Jen and their kids.

Now its May, and we have just started the 2019 West African Killifish breeding season. In addition to familiar species, we also raise IUCN endangered and vulnerable species and distribute them to other labs.

 A link to a 2017 video of young fish from some of the past species bred is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oJVodG6_hM&list=PL5tisTQEgG_L3U7Bjka21aMz45UPT5cq0&index=12&t=0s
It shows cohorts of Aphyosemion australe, (for the grandkids) , Fundulopanchax gardneri  Innidere (for Phil), A. celiae, A. splendopleure Tiko Green from Bill Hodgekiss, and Epiplatys roloffi. We also raised Aphyosemion primigenium, seen in another video on our site. See the link below. We didn't make any new videos last year, but plan to this year.

Since our tap water is a little hard and alkaline, we sometimes add small amounts of RO/DI water  before we use it. We don't go to extremes for most species however; instead we keep species whose water drains off of basaltic volcanoes and runs through laterite soils. This is the case for many West African species. Luckily, our water also runs through basalt and then runs over laterite soils. Our rocks and soils are just older, 200 million years older if you want to know.

Our sons raised fish when they were young. Chris raised Zebra Danios  for local pet shops,  and Phil still breeds goldfish, as does my wife Susan. We start the kids young, here is our
oldest granddaughter helping in the fishroom.

Our oldest granddaughter  looking at her tank of Tetras

Her tank, Neons and Glowlights.

Our grandsons also have fish room jobs when they visit. The babies are welcome when they are older.

The kids also like to feed Susan's ornamental goldfish, which she raises in our pond, a good source of infusoria, sphagnum moss,  and rainwater.

Susan's Pond

Her father Phil raises ornamental goldfish in a much larger pond.

Anyway, here are photos of the species we are setting up so far. These are my photos or are cutouts from my videos.

                                         Aphyosemion australe (xanthic form) for our grandkids.

                                            Fundulopanchax gardneri for Phil, his favorite. 

Aphyosemion splendopleure Tiko Green from Bill Hodgekiss

In the past we have raised and distributed several IUCN species of concern and distributed them, including those below.

                                                         Aphyosemion celiae .ENDANGERED

Epiplatys roloffi ENDANGERED

We also raise Aphyosemion primigenium. These are so active its hard to get a picture:

A primigenium VULNERABLE

A blurry video (we put in chopped grindals to coax them to the front of the tank) is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_LLXA--DRw&list=PL5tisTQEgG_L3U7Bjka21aMz45UPT5cq0&index=10

This year we will raise Aphyosemion splendopleure Tiko Green SPP and possibly Fundulopanchax amieti AMI. The latter is IUCN ENDANGERED.