Pseudepiplatys annulatus

      Pseudepiplatys annulatus, known as the Clown killie, Banded panchax or Rocket panchax, was once much more available in the Keystone Killie Group.  I have been trying to get them reestablished in my fish room, as it is such a beautiful little fish.  So when Lee Harper volunteered to bid on fish at the auction that he and Clay Crawford were attending out at the mini convention in Milwaukee, I asked Lee to try to buy me two pair of annulatus.  Lee was able to get me only a trio of a male and two females, as there were not a lot fish available and there were other bidders.  I set the trio up in a planted 2 and 1/2 gallon tank on November 8, 2012, and was disappointed when a few weeks later one of the young females matured enough to show his true finnage as a male.  A reverse trio.  Well I still had hopes with the one female.

Pseudepiplatys annulatus male, December 18, 2012

 

Female, December 18, 2012

       I was thrilled when on December 5th, I found three eggs while picking through some java moss from their tank.  Tiny, tiny little eggs, but one was dark, indicating a developing baby.  It should hatch real soon, as the literature suggests a two week incubation period.  In the meantime, I had been checking the aquarium for baby fish, as annulatus are known for tolerating their fry in the tank with them.  Yesterday, December 18th, I was delighted to count at least five very small fry in the tank.  At first, the very small fry stay at the very top of the tank, often right at the meniscus at the edges of the tank.

Spotted one

And another

      Yes, the babies start out tiny.  They feed on infusuria that they find naturally available in the tank.  I may suck up a few of the babies in a turkey baster to see if I can provide them with more food by keeping them in a separate container.  Or I might try to add more microscopic live food to the breeding tank.  In either case, I am happy to be getting babies.

      Update 12/31/2012:  Dipped 12 babies from the adult breeder tank, and separated them to three different starter containers.  None of the eggs that have been picked have hatched yet, many days passed the supposed hatching date.  Maybe letting them hatch in the parents tank is the way to go.

      Update 2/23/2013:  Dipped maybe eight babies from reverse trio tank.

      Update 3/23/2013:  Dipped eleven babies from reverse trio tank.     

      Update 4/15/2013:  Two pair of sex-able juveniles moved to a 5 1/2 gallon tank to establish another breeding tank.  Five very young babies and four decent sized babies dipped out of reverse trio breeding tank.  Those babies set up to containers with the five smallest together, and the little larger one split to two each per container.

      Update 5/8/2013:  Five very young babies and three decent sized babies dipped out of reverse trio breeding tank.  Put the 5 and 3 into two separate rearing containers.

      Update 5/28/2013:  Three very young babies and four decent sized babies dipped out of reverse trio tank.  Put them in two separate starter containers.  A lone juvenile female was put in with two adult males in a 5 1/2 gallon tank to hopefully start a reverse trio breeding tank.  No evidence of fry yet in the tank with three males and two females.

      Update 3/16/2014:  Had not spotted a baby in a very long time, and am down to a pair and a single male juvenile.  Two mornings ago before lights came on, I shined a flashlight into the parent tank and spotted one lone minuscule fry!  So the parents are fertile, and they are laying eggs.  Maybe they are eating the fry. This morning I moved the pair to a different well planted 2 1/2 gallon tank.  Hoping to find fry pop up in the newly vacated tank.

      Update 12/3/15:  The fish from the 3/16/14 update have bee long gone.  I purchased six juvies from Gary Haas on 9/12/15 and put them all in a 2 1/2 gallon. Turns out to be three pair! One pair left in the 2.5, one pair moved to a 10 gallon with three cherry shrimp, and one pair moved to a shallow sweater box. The fish look good and have been taking grindals heartily.

Aphyosemion australe schwartzflosse

      Quite a few fish keepers in the Keystone Killie Group maintain  Aphyosemion australe schwartzflosse.  This australe differs from the orange australe by being darker, and having black in the fins as the german word schwartzflosse implies.  Although it is supposed to be one of the easier killies to breed, I can not prove that premise.  I recently had three pair of adult fish, then lost one female.  I just moved the surviving male to a 15 gallon tank with a non productive pair, and the new male is showing lots of interest in the female.

New addition, December 7th,  2012

Note the black lines in the fins

       Before the one female died from the two younger pairs, I was getting some eggs.  This morning I moved seven babies from their little index card file box to a 2 and 1/2 gallon tank.  Maybe the new reverse trio will start to show some babies in the natural tank set up.

Baby australe moved December 7th,  2016

       December 7, 2012:  Female from young mated pair dead.  Male moved to 15 gallon to form reverse trio.  The five gallon breeder tank was used for juvenile dageti.

       December 20, 2012:  Noticed maybe six australe babies in with the dageti.  Obviously from egg hatch after both parents were removed.

       January 2, 2013:  Moved male from breeding set up to 15 gallon tank with the original female and one or two other males.  Female noticed to be dead 12/31/12.  Maybe will get babies to show up.  Now have reverse quad in the 15 gallon tank.  No babies observed to date.


       March 6, 2014: Finally found three fry in with parents in planted 15 gallon tank.  The mother was the only surviving baby in the tank with the father, and he allowed her to grow over the last few months.  She is my last surviving female of this species, so I am delighted to see the babies this morning.  Should try to net some out to rear them in a different tank. 

       May 2, 2016:  Lone remaining pair in 20 gallon long have produced only four nice boys.  Two have been raised in separate jars.  Took the female and one the the young males from the twenty, and put that pair in breeder Box A with java moss.  Figure the young male will be a little less aggressive with the female.  Left the larger male and second young male in the twenty long.  Will try to feed the breeder pair heavily with daphnia.

      May 11,2016:  Found first egg in Box A!  Removed to 3X5 filebox with hair algae to hatch.

Aphyosemion bitaeniatum Ijebu Ode

                               

       The photo above is of a male Aphyosemion bitaeniatum Ijebu Ode, courtesy of aquaticquotient.com.  I had acquired a pair from Lee Harper, and breeding attempts resulted in only three fish, all female.  The female of my pair had died about six weeks ago, and the three female babies have now reached a size that I put all four fish together today.  One female looks a little small, but I figure she will be okay with two other females in the tank.  Hopefully, I will start getting new eggs.