Very interesting discussion about these lovely fish
@ScareCrow and
@dw1305.
The males do some pretty extravagant displays. Similar to threadfins really, I just find threadfins to be a bit dull in terms of colour.
P. gertrudae and P.iriani will be fine with that. There's a killi for every occasion so you shouldn't have any problem finding one that matches your parameters. Actually finding the fish will be the hardest part but you can often get eggs posted to your door and then you get to enjoy raising them from eggs. For most of the commonly kept species they seem to prefer slightly cooler 22-23 degrees Celsius but I think that's mainly for breeding and possibly increases longevity slightly.
Some are more so than others. I think something like Epiplatys annulatus would be ok with fry. They're quite small and spend most of their time near the surface (assuming there's vegetation for cover). I've kept Fundulopanchax gardneri 'Jos Plateau' but wouldn't risk them with fry, they're very aggressive to one another and I imagine they might be able to stand their ground with some cichlids. I think Aphyosemion are generally considered to be more peaceful but I'm sure that's more of a rough guide than a rule. Aphyosemion australe are quite easy to get hold of and are supposedly quite peaceful but every time I've seen them they are lurking in the middle to lower layers of the tank so might make your apistos a little uncomfortable. Lampeye Killifish (Poropanchax normani) are another one that's easy to get hold of and I don't think they'd cause any problems.
Sadly I think most of the killis aren't quite right, although they are absolutely stunning, I think you're right about them being too low with the apistos, really I want the schoolers to be a mid-top level fish. The
Epiplatys annulatus are super beautiful, but this tank has a lid so I don't think they will live very long for me, tis a shame as they're a really beautiful fish. It's similar to the hatchetfish, I would have them if they wouldn't almost certainly all jump out! Your friends combo of them and
Apistogramma baenschi inka sounds like a gorgeous combo.
When I first got fish, I wanted some schooling fish and at the shop couldn't decide between kubotai rasboras or lampeyes. In the end I went with the kubotai and almost immediately killed them all with my inexperience (and then joined here). I'd definitely get them in the future, as the lampeyes are very ghostly beautiful, but I think they work better with a lowerlight lowtech tank as they would stand out better than in my blue-background one.
Hi all,
You can't go by them in the LFS. They <"
colour up really well when they are happy">, you get a real <"
turquoise sheen to the body"> on the males, and you have the fin-flicking display as well.
Hi all,
If I see the in a shop I always have a look to see if there are any females. Usually it is just males, but you really want a mix of ~ two males to five females.
Absolutely beautiful fish! Hopefully I could make them happy, good to know that they need a bit of love before they really get to their best. I'll keep in mind the gender ratios, what do you do if there are 8 males and 2 female,s not get the females? Will get be harrassed too much?
Well after this I've spent the evening watching youtube videos and I think the Threadfin Rainbows & the Pseudomugil rainbows (either the neon orange iriani or the white & yellow spotted gertrudae) are definitely at the top of the list. They look very impressive! Interestingly for the Pseudomugil I've seen them sold as eggs on ebay to raise which I haven't really noticed before except for killies, and never thought I might attempt! 😂 Quite reasonable too, 40 eggs for £25 is much cheaper than the fish themselves would be I think. They seem specialist enough that I won't be able to see them in shops and compare, so would def be interested in hearing from more people who kept them!
Even though their bodies aren't too colourful, the pastel yellow & bright pink fin edges with the black is super striking! And they've got an unusual shape with fins so long which I find rather interesting.
These fish are so pretty, I think if I don't have enough lightness in the tank I might add them, they look so summery and joyful, like they're wearing chiffon polkadot dresses, a little Marilyn Monroe fish. Also love those little yellow fins and the way they look like bobbing rabbit ears.
Again, loving the yellow pecs, these ones have such a delicious orange colour, and I love their bright blue eyes.
