Breeding Clown Killies
Yes, Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks!
by Curt Smith
From the Youngstown Aquarist, Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society
Aquarticles
Some time ago I finally found some Epiplatys annulatus.
I was pleasantly surprised when, after a couple months, they started filling the mop
with eggs - lots of them! I soon had forty or more small "clown" fry - so small
I searched in vain for food small enough to feed them. I tried APR and vinegar eels and
they did OK for a short time, but after a week or so I lost all but six. I became more
careful about changing small amounts of water more often and kept the six fry alive,
but they didn't grow very fast.
Then one day when I was changing water in the parents' tank I noted some movement on
one side and after extensive probing found four little "clowns". Though probably
born later, they were much larger than the the other six and sported the discernable
striping they are noted for. Then I remembered (sometimes I'm admittedly a little slow)
that I overheard a conversation at the AKA convention in Milwaukee that they had good
success by placing multiple pairs in a 15 gallon long tank with lots of Java Moss. They
added that the parents won't normally eat the fry.
So I set up a 10 gallon tank with wall to wall Java Moss, filled it about half full
with water, and dumped all my clowns in it (both adults and fry). The water was about the
same as in the other tank (slightly over 6 pH and maybe 90 ppm hardness). After awhile I
had fry of all ages and sizes co-existing in the Java Moss. When I skim the water surface,
I have to dump a lot of little guys back into the tank. As the larger little stripers
approached 5/8 an inch or so I noticed the small fry disappearing - the parents won't eat
the fry, but the little stripers will! So a second 10 gallon became necessary, one for the
breeding and one for transferring the fry as they got close to 1/2 inch long.
The tiny guys seem to grow well initially from the microscopic infusoria on the Java
Moss until they get big enough to gobble baby brine shrimp. Boy, talk about a low
maintenance set-up! But it seems to work well.
So, I guess I learned something about Epiplatys annulatus, and a valuable
lesson it is. They do well in densely planted tanks with Java Moss and the parents do not
seem to eat any fry. So give 'em a try and check this thing out !!!
To contact Curt for any information or to tell him how you found his ideas worked for
you email him at curtskillies@yahoo.com
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