My First Pair of Rachovii Killifish

So stoked! One of our customers that came into Aquarium Co-Op, found out that he lives here in Bremerton, so we hung out for a bit and he gave me a pair of Killifish, now, I have no idea how to breed these just yet, but I have done some reading, and I think I know what I will have to do. I'm hoping I can keep them in the 8 footer divided display tank, or maybe in a smaller tank that's easier to manage (taking out eggs and whatnot).

These things are a beaut! It's unfortunate that their lives are so short though... Anyway, here they are . . . these fish are so colorful!

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Nice!! Congrats!!! Darn pretty fish.

Killies are made of win! Good luck breeding. Aren't these the same that came with that hatchi-o madness Cory had in the shop a while ago?

dwarfpike wrote:Nice!! Congrats!!! Darn pretty fish.

Pretty indeed! I fell inlove with em when I got em.

MRTom wrote:Killies are made of win! Good luck breeding. Aren't these the same that came with that hatchi-o madness Cory had in the shop a while ago?

Hmmm... I'm not quite sure if they're exactly the same... but they do look similar, now that you mention it. There are so many killies out there with so many awesome coloration/patterns on them... they're like pokemon. Gotta catch em all, or in this case, gotta HATCH them all. hah..........! ........ *crickets*  

How in the world are you still awake? Shoot, I thought I was a night owl...but I'm getting ready to head to bed. lol. I've been out-sleeped! =P

Nice fish!

Beautiful...so stunning. Good luck with the spawn.

PokeSephiroth wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

An annual Killi? Would be a fun breeding project! Sure is a pretty fish.

Gorgeous fish! Definitely looks like an annual. The not-so-annuals are nowhere near as pretty

Good luck with them!

I want a pair!

Yes, they are annuals. I want to get them spawning like crazy, sooooooon! They're only about 2 months old, so I have a good 10 more months with them. Hopefully I can get tons of eggs from them. Hehehe

I will be watching this project! those are beautiful fish!

Do you know how to save the eggs? I saw something about saving Killi Eggs a while back but don't remember the process.

I remember seeing something like a yarn ball with lots of trailers for eggs to stick to... kind of like a mop head.

Dude, why didn't we think of this sooner? Use your 8 foot tank as a killifish breeding setup! You could start hatching partial portions of eggs in each section every month and get to producing new fish every month!

MRTom: I had thought about that, and it has been a huge possibility, which I think will be a great test to see if I can do it or not.

Paintguy and DrakeAquatics: We do sell those breeder mop things (yarn tied to cork) but I think these particular killies prefer peat over the yarn breeding mops. The trick is to put some peat in a tupperware or plastic soda bottle, and then submerge that into the tank. The killifish will then breed just above the peat moss, and that's where they lay the eggs and fertilize them. Once the deed is done, you take out the container, drain the water, and store the peat/eggs in an airtight container for about 3-5 months... then to hatch them, you add water into the tupperware, wait a day, and you will see little tiny fry... save the peat stuff because there are still more eggs in the peat that usually requires a 2nd cycle of drying/re-wetting. Etc.

The process seems pretty daunting, but I think I'd like to give it a shot.

cichlid-gal, fishylady, and MorganEA: Thankies! I'm really excited to see if I can get them to spawn, that would be so cool!

pbmax: That is correct, these annuals are so colorful, compared to their non-annual killies...however, the Gardneri Killies do look pretty nice, and they're non-annuals, if I remember correctly. FishNABox gave me his three Gardneri Killifish (I think two females, 1 male), and I just plopped them in my 100 gallon tank. I plan on transfering them over to the 8 foot display tank once everything is set up. And I just might reserve a cubicle for these Rachovii Killies as well. We'll see.

PokeSephiroth wrote:pbmax: That is correct, these annuals are so colorful, compared to their non-annual killies...however, the Gardneri Killies do look pretty nice, and they're non-annuals, if I remember correctly.

FishNABox gave me his three Gardneri Killifish (I think two females, 1 male), and I just plopped them in my 100 gallon tank. I plan on transfering them over to the 8 foot display tank once everything is set up. And I just might reserve a cubicle for these Rachovii Killies as well. We'll see.

They were Fundulopanchax. They should spawn in a species only tank. 2 where an adult pair, one was a young offspring.
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Doh... I'm getting my killie names mixed up! they look so much like gardneri killies... LOL. Still really awesome fish, regardless!

Okay upon further research, fundulopanchax Is gardeneri... LOL

Fundulopanchax Gardneri Killifish.

PokeSephiroth wrote:Okay upon further research, fundulopanchax Is gardeneri... LOL

Fundulopanchax Gardneri Killifish.

Hmmm....

We will have to double check with FishLoverRon. That's who I got them from but I think they are fundulopanchax scheeli scheeli.

Sorry about the photo, it may have been misleading. I pulled it off the Internet quickly & didn't realize there is like 20+ different fundulopanchax species....

Oh sweet if it's sheeli then thats the same kind I got from the orphan overstock tank at Aquarium Co-Op! Wooooohooo!

PokeSephiroth wrote:Oh sweet if it's sheeli then thats the same kind I got from the orphan overstock tank at Aquarium Co-Op! Wooooohooo!

"Orphan overstock tank"?!? Is this like a tank where odds & ends get thrown into & stuff maybe discounted?

..... Yes all fish in that tank are like $1...I could've sworn you saw that tank before lol!

KaraWolf wrote:Beauties!!!! just absolutely stunning and giggling some on the way to hatch them. fish eggs in a box. Someone non fishy comes over:
oh what are these? *picks up dried sealed tupperware*
Oh just some fish eggs.
But they're dry?
"YUP!
but doesn't that kill them?
Watch this! *soaks and pulls out next day* fishies!!!

Lol! Or something like:
"oh yeah? My sea monkeys are better than yours, watch! "

PokeSephiroth wrote:..... Yes all fish in that tank are like $1...I could've sworn you saw that tank before lol!

Think I remember Cory saying something about it, just don't remember paying it much mind. Perhaps there wasn't much in there to talk about when I seen it...


So, you gotta keep me updated on these new Killi. These take a special touch and a different kind of commitment. It would be very impressive to hatch fry from these type of fish. I thought about it for like a second then diverted to dwarf cichlids.

I will definitely let you know how these killies go. They're so cool!!

Second that on the hatching commitment. I have wanted to do it for a long time, but always find something else that is faster

If you succeed, I will be interested in trading for some eggs (after the new fishroom is up!)

MRTom: Sure thing! ......... if I can ever find those darn Peat Moss pellet things. Already went to Lowes last night and they didn't have any in stock because it's no longer in season... Bah, stupid seasonal items. At least there's still Amazon