9 replies to this topic

[Betta132]

My LFS occasionally gets bluefin killies in their feeder tanks, and I'd like to keep some. I don't have a tank that could be set up to exclusively hold them, but I have a tank that's lightly stocked and has a slot for a peaceful shoaling fish. They aren't native fish, but I think they'd get along with the bluefins. Believe me, I would have a small-natives tank if I had the space.

The tank is a 29 Biocube, currently lightly planted. I'm working on growing moss and such in the background in order to help fish fry survive. The current stock is 3 amano shrimp, 4 glowlight tetras (used to be in the big tank, temporarily-housed green sunfish ate the rest, will be getting more) and 4 Betta albimarginata. B. albimarginata are a small species of wild-type betta, about an inch and a half long at full size. They display at each other, but they don't get in real fights. They're very peaceful and mildly timid, so anything more boisterous than a glowlight is a bad plan. 

The main problem I have is this: bluefin killies don't live long. Is there a reliable way to get them to spawn in a community tank, if I provided a big bundle of moss to act as a spawning net/fry refuge? Also, anyone have any advice for getting them to live a bit longer than two years?

[gerald]

Bluefins are fairly predatory on their own fry, and I bet they will eat Betta fry too unless you move the holding males to a separate tank.  A tank packed full of moss, Najas, hornwort, other fine-leaved plants, and frequently fed with live foods, you might get a few surving killie fry.  A better way is to remove handfulls of moss with eggs (if you can find where they are spawning) and hatch them separately.  You can raise the baby killies and baby Bettas together if they're reasonably close in size.  Low temp is the best way to prolong their lives.  

[Sean Phillips]

I agree with the fact that they predate on their fry. A have a single pair in a 20 high with some redside dace and silverjaw minnows, I occasionally find a fry or two but they're gone within a day and are two small to catch.

[Betta132]

Hmm... hadn't considered the temp. They seem to prefer colder temperatures, from the bit of research I just did on that topic. Since I have bettas in this tank, it needs to be warm, so I think I'll skip the bluefins for now and maybe keep them in a later tank. 

[Matt DeLaVega]

Sean, with that big bug eating mouth, the redside dace probably chow down on the fry before the parents even get a chance. They look like tasty little larvae.

[Sean Phillips]

Sean, with that big bug eating mouth, the redside dace probably chow down on the fry before the parents even get a chance. They look like tasty little larvae.

True. They really remind me of little salmon with their body shape and little kypes. The first time I seined one I thought it was a smolt!

[Sean Phillips]

Hmm... hadn't considered the temp. They seem to prefer colder temperatures, from the bit of research I just did on that topic. Since I have bettas in this tank, it needs to be warm, so I think I'll skip the bluefins for now and maybe keep them in a later tank.

I'd say they could take up to 76 comfortably, and survive up to about 80. I'm currently keeping mine at 66.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I can easily see that if you were at a point where you had not studied fish as much as you have now.  In my teenage years, I caught a couple of fish in a direct tributary of the Clinch, and was sure they were brook trout. I now know that they could not have been, but cannot for the life of me figure out what it was I caught that day. They were decent sized and colorful. Tangerine darters? I really can't even imagine since my knowledge has grown so much since then.

[Sean Phillips]

I can easily see that if you were at a point where you had not studied fish as much as you have now.  In my teenage years, I caught a couple of fish in a direct tributary of the Clinch, and was sure they were brook trout. I now know that they could not have been, but cannot for the life of me figure out what it was I caught that day. They were decent sized and colorful. Tangerine darters? I really can't even imagine since my knowledge has grown so much since then.

For me this was just last September. But that was only the first time I'd seined on my own and my knowledge has easily doubled since then.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I am 42 Sean, so it was a good while ago. Other than a major interest in angling, I did not really get in to learning about native fish indepth until about 10 years ago or so. Must have been that long ago, as we started building this forum in 2006 I think.