# Killifish not following instincts?



## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

So I have 3 Nothobranchius Rubripinnnis in a 10 gallon tank which is divided in half (with a divider). There is 1 male and 2 females like recommended, but I never see the male ever trying to attract the females (I am attempting to breed killifish for the first time ), he just sits lower to the gravel swimming along. I don't think he stressed and my water is quite good quality (0 nitites or ammonia, constant pH & a water temp of room temperature [roughly 21-22 degrees celcius]) I have 1 java moss in their area and a small sprouting java fern. Any ideas why he doesnt seem to be attracted?Am I doing something wrong, or is that how he like to be/act?

PS I havent seen any eggs anywhere in the tank or sand cup I put out


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## LJTIGGS (Jan 7, 2010)

thename123 said:


> So I have 3 Nothobranchius Rubripinnnis in a 10 gallon tank which is divided in half (with a divider). There is 1 male and 2 females like recommended, but I never see the male ever trying to attract the females (I am attempting to breed killifish for the first time ), he just sits lower to the gravel swimming along. I don't think he stressed and my water is quite good quality (0 nitites or ammonia, constant pH & a water temp of room temperature [roughly 21-22 degrees celcius]) I have 1 java moss in their area and a small sprouting java fern. Any ideas why he doesnt seem to be attracted?Am I doing something wrong, or is that how he like to be/act?
> 
> PS I havent seen any eggs anywhere in the tank or sand cup I put out


Have you researched this Killifish?

This killie is a peat spawner (they will not spawn in sand) and it needs to have a substrate like peat to spawn in.


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

LJTIGGS said:


> Have you researched this Killifish?
> 
> This killie is a peat spawner (they will not spawn in sand) and it needs to have a substrate like peat to spawn in.


ya I have done my research, my source said sand would work :S Ill go and get some peat now, but what about his behavior? wouldn't that not be affected by the substrate?

and here is another question, how do you properly prepare peat? I know you boil it and place it in a cup with a hole in it's lid. Is there anything else i need to know?


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

So here is what I have done with my killifish...I went out and bought some peat and following i set up a 5 gallon "breeding tank" furnished with java moss a heater and the peat container (the tank is bear bottom). Any thing else i should change/add?


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## LJTIGGS (Jan 7, 2010)

thename123 said:


> So here is what I have done with my killifish...I went out and bought some peat and following i set up a 5 gallon "breeding tank" furnished with java moss a heater and the peat container (the tank is bear bottom). Any thing else i should change/add?


Have you fed your fish any live food in the last couple of days? Flakes and freeze dried foods are ok for general feeding but most fish should have some live food to help condition them for breeding. Continue to fed live food during the breeding cycle (daily if possible)

Your water temperature s/b approximately room temp (72c or 21c).

So far your set up s/b fine for breeding.


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

LJTIGGS said:


> Have you fed your fish any live food in the last couple of days? Flakes and freeze dried foods are ok for general feeding but most fish should have some live food to help condition them for breeding. Continue to fed live food during the breeding cycle (daily if possible)


I feed them flake and frozen blood worm


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

So far I have seen no attraction/mating, it could be to early to say but i am questioning whether or not these killi's will mate (its been about 3 days in the breeding tank with peat):S 

Is it possible that age could be deterring mating? The male is at least over a year (could be even 16 months) old and the females I believe are about half a year old. 

Or am I being to impatient?


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

thename123 said:


> So far I have seen no attraction/mating, it could be to early to say but i am questioning whether or not these killi's will mate (its been about 3 days in the breeding tank with peat):S
> 
> Is it possible that age could be deterring mating? The male is just over a year old and the females I believe are about half a year old.
> 
> Or am I being to impatient?


One year is actually quite old for a Nothobranchius. Do the females look plump and full of eggs? Continue to feed them heavily on bloodworms. If you want a starter culture for white worms and/or fruit flies, you can get them from me. I've also got microworms, walter worms and banana worms for fry, but that's months from now for your eggs.

I find the eggs really hard to see in the peat -- I can barely see the hatched fry except when they move -- but your eyes may be better than mine.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

The best source of peat, in my experience are Jiffy pellets. They are far more convenient and less mesy than bulk peat.
I have had Nothobranchius rachovi that lived 2 years. I never seperated them to spawn.


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## chizhevskiy (Jan 13, 2010)

Age is not a problem, they are starting to lay a viable eggs from 1.5-2 month. Most probably, they are stressed by something in your setup, probably light is to high or the 21C temperature is too low for them. I can imagine another problem - most nothos have very similarly looking females, probably you got females from other species?


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## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

Oh...I hope they are the same species...to help I have increased the temperature to 24 Celsius and for better analysis Here are pictures (roughly 2 weeks old) of my male and one of my females, please take a look 

Male:
http://http://yfrog.com/0wdsc02675zj

Female:
http://http://yfrog.com/1mdsc02656j

PS I have noticed when I compared these pictures to my live specimens, the male is loosing his colour, he is not as red anymore and his blues are fading to a lighter blue. The females are perfectly normal though


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