What the Heck are "Killie Mops?"
by Don Zilliox
First published in Some Things Fishy, Newsletter of the Tropical Fish Club of Erie
County
Aquarticles
Killie mops or aptly named "yarn mops" are homemade devices made by some
hobbyists as a place for killifish or other plant spawners to lay their adhesive eggs.
Once you know the eggs have been laid, it's simple to transfer the entire "mop"
to a small tank so the eggs can hatch without being eaten by the parents or other
predators. They are used by some Apisto breeders as a place for the harassed fishes to
hide. I try to have at least one of these in each of my tanks. They are easily cleaned and
don't leave a mess in the breeding tank as in the case of Java moss when parts of it start
to die off.
These mops are easy and inexpensive to make. I use leftover lengths of yarn from my
wife's knitting projects but sometimes when in a store I find really inexpensive full
skeins of yarn in the color of my choice. Green is the best color as it blends in with any
live plants you may already have. I also have used brown, dark blue and black just so it
does look somewhat natural for the inhabitants. Use a book or clipboard or just a piece of
corrugated cardboard that is about the depth of the tank the mop is going into. For a
regular 10 gallon tank figure around 8" or a little more. Just start wrapping the
yarn around the book about 10 or 15 times depending on how dense you want the mop. After
making a few of them, you will come up with a number that works well for your tank. Next
cut the yarn from the skein and take another small piece and tie those strands together
tightly anywhere along the book. Then at the exact opposite side of this knot, cut the
yarn and by holding the knot up, both sides will form your mop. Now; there are two types
of mops; floating or sinking. If you want the mop to lay on the bottom of the tank, just
soak it in some warm water for a short while and then squeeze out the excess water and
place it in the tank and it will sink to the bottom. If you want the mop to reach from the
top of the water to the bottom of the tank all you do is tie a cork or small piece of
Styrofoam to where the knot is and soak it as in the previous procedure.
After a while you will know just what length to use and how many strands are needed to
attain the desired results. Others items I use so the fish can hide are small clay
flowerpots placed on their sides along with appropriate sizes and lengths of PVC tubing.
Neither of these are as pleasing to the eye as yarn mops.
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