I have a bunch of Leptolucania ommata, Pygmy Killifish from near Mobile, Alabama. These are still yoy (young-of-the-year). I am having difficulty sexing the fish; the black stripe down the side is dark and solid, hiding the spot on the side of females. The Ommata that I raised in my pond this summer were much more yellow; the spot on the side of the body was easy to see. The parent fish can from south of Bonifay in the Florida panhandle.

What color variations are known for Leptolucania ommata?

I've only ever seen them washed out with the black spot, and then yellow with fine details that I had to use a macro photograph to see them clearly, and my eyes are still pretty good. They're so danged small. And with as much detail as I can see them, they're the same from Tate's Hell to Santa Rosa county (where this one came from), so I can't imagine they'd be all that different in Mobile.

How did the trip go? Did you end up neck high in some welaka?

Todd

I had some 20 year old leads on Welaka locations. I checked 8 sites on 4 creeks and only found 5 Pteronotropis signipinnis. I did not see many minnows of any kind. Did see many large Fundulus notti. I am starting to think the creeks are poisoned; topminnows eat many terrestrial insects, which would be free of poison from the creek. I may start doing macroinvertebrate studies when hunting Welaka.

Amazing how hard it can be to get from one side of the Alabama River to the other side.

Well, really, this is the wrong time of year to chase welaka.

I have a bunch of Ommata fry from this year. I have not bothered to try and sex them. Why? In one year they will be very easy to sex, being quite obvious. Females are black, white and silver. Never any color. A distinct caudal spot. Males have all the color and can be electric radiant when caught from the wild. The secret to raising Ommata is keeping them in a quiet vegetated tank with no tank mates. They are one of the most beautiful coastal native fishes. The only way to see them snorkeling is poking your head deep into vegetation along the bank, they are never out in the open. They swim like little hovercraft, just hovering. I think one might get away with keeping them w/ Least Killes, Pygmy Sunfish and or Flag Fish but i think they will always do best alone. Swamp Darters too, maybe.
Cool fish.

Casper

I have a bunch of Ommata fry from this year. I have not bothered to try and sex them. Why? In one year they will be very easy to sex, being quite obvious. Females are black, white and silver. Never any color. A distinct caudal spot. Males have all the color and can be electric radiant when caught from the wild. The secret to raising Ommata is keeping them in a quiet vegetated tank with no tank mates. They are one of the most beautiful coastal native fishes. The only way to see them snorkeling is poking your head deep into vegetation along the bank, they are never out in the open. They swim like little hovercraft, just hovering. I think one might get away with keeping them w/ Least Killes, Pygmy Sunfish and or Flag Fish but i think they will always do best alone. Swamp Darters too, maybe.
Cool fish.

Casper

Casper is right. I must have caught all YOY. 5/8 inch fish caught November 10th are starting to sex out now. Many definite males showing yellow on the fins and losing the black lateral stripe. Others loosing the lateral stripe too, but not showing the mid body spot yet.

Casper is right. I must have caught all YOY. 5/8 inch fish caught November 10th are starting to sex out now. Many definite males showing yellow on the fins and losing the black lateral stripe. Others loosing the lateral stripe too, but not showing the mid body spot yet.

The ommatas do seem to color better in some places than others,and of course are brightest(males) when mating.Size can vary from place to place.I've caught them a little over an inch in a few places.

Just an update to my little Omata, the Pygmy Killie population at Blue Fish Ridge.

I moved a couple net fulls from the outdoor pool last fall to an indoor 10 gallon, heavily vegetated with java fern and moss and some kinda brillo like moss, sand bottom. A gentle corner air foam filter provides a wee bit of movement and some filtration.
It sits on my studio floor so they only way i can look in is by laying on my belly, so i dont do that too often! I do regularily drop a bit of flake in the water.
I just spent a few minutes on my belly and they now range from 1/2" to 1" and there are about 20 in the tank along with a glass shrimp and snails. I cannot seperate any males from females at this time, as none seem to show a hint of color.
I'm thinking of moving all my indoor florida fish from my living room 55 to a couple outdoor pools, tanks and barrels, ( a long overdue chore this season, moving outdoors, the Golden Ears, Flagfish and Bluefins ). To the then defished indoor 55 i will move these 20 Pygmy Killies for a long term single specie observation. I will turn off the filtration pump and add an air foam filter. The tank is heavily planted. I'm convinced these guys do not like "flow" or movement as i only seem to encounter them along lake edges and vegetated borrow pits. Im hoping to see some color and better breeding behavior.

I had moved them from outside last fall as i was concerned the winter, tho mild of late here in Chattanooga, would kill them. Yesterday i was pleased to pull a small net through the outdoor pool i had caught them from and netted several large adults that had survived the winter! They did not exhibit much color tho but the activity was a bit awkward. Im due to do a bit of maintenance on that pool and will look closer and see what else survived the winter. There are always tadpoles, snails and bugs in this 125 gallon in ground pool. Last fall it was swarming w/ mosquito larva and i was mystified as to why the Pygmy Lillies were not keeping them at bay.

The males can be truely spectacular when catching them wild. The can seem to have all the colors of the rainbow. One locale oddity, i was netting in a Tates Hell ditch with a wee bit of flow. At this trickle, mini run flow, i netted the most beautiful male omata i have ever seen. I remember it having metallic blue bars on it. I sure would like to see that again! I'm headed back Thursday and tho i dont intend on "collecting" i will probably stick a net in a few spots.

I have a bunch of Ommata fry from this year. I have not bothered to try and sex them. Why? In one year they will be very easy to sex, being quite obvious. Females are black, white and silver. Never any color. A distinct caudal spot. Males have all the color and can be electric radiant when caught from the wild. The secret to raising Ommata is keeping them in a quiet vegetated tank with no tank mates. They are one of the most beautiful coastal native fishes. The only way to see them snorkeling is poking your head deep into vegetation along the bank, they are never out in the open. They swim like little hovercraft, just hovering. I think one might get away with keeping them w/ Least Killes, Pygmy Sunfish and or Flag Fish but i think they will always do best alone. Swamp Darters too, maybe.
Cool fish.

Casper

I know this is an old thread, but I have a new question. I am thinking of putting either Hets or Ommata in a 10g tank which will hopefully be set up to require little maintenance, something along a Walstad tank. I am more than willing to leave the species I get all to themselves, especially if that will cause them to have better colors. My question is, would adding a single dwarf crayfish be enough to ruin whatever color advantage the fish might get from being the only fish species in the tank? I plan to plant water lettuce in the tank and have mostly rocks on the bottom, figuring the fish would get the top and the dwarf crayfish might build a fort on the bottom.

...would adding a single dwarf crayfish be enough to ruin whatever color advantage the fish might get from being the only fish species in the tank? I plan to plant water lettuce in the tank and have mostly rocks on the bottom, figuring the fish would get the top and the dwarf crayfish might build a fort on the bottom.

For ommata, IMO the "color advantage" they get from being the only fish in the tank is that they don't become someone's else's lunch, and thus survive long enough to color up. Hets would obviously not be a problem in that regard.

I wouldn't think a benign dwarf catfish like a shufeldi (?sp) would be a problem.

But ommata will be more comfortable in a tank with plants in the entire water column, not just floating on the top like water lettuce. Think underwater jungle with a few clearings.

For ommata, IMO the "color advantage" they get from being the only fish in the tank is that they don't become someone's else's lunch, and thus survive long enough to color up. Hets would obviously not be a problem in that regard.

I wouldn't think a benign dwarf catfish like a shufeldi (?sp) would be a problem.

But ommata will be more comfortable in a tank with plants in the entire water column, not just floating on the top like water lettuce. Think underwater jungle with a few clearings.

So how does such a little fish escape a net so easily? I know that a scoop from below is near futile. A quick scoop from above will work IF done fast enough, and deep enough, and in the right location, and scooped up fast enough, with small enough mesh. I have been shut-out on catching L. ommatas on two occasions when the person near me was catching dozens. I have finally learned the technique.

For ommata, IMO the "color advantage" they get from being the only fish in the tank is that they don't become someone's else's lunch, and thus survive long enough to color up. Hets would obviously not be a problem in that regard.

I wouldn't think a benign dwarf catfish like a shufeldi (?sp) would be a problem.

But ommata will be more comfortable in a tank with plants in the entire water column, not just floating on the top like water lettuce. Think underwater jungle with a few clearings.

Do Hets need as much vegetation?

So how does such a little fish escape a net so easily? I know that a scoop from below is near futile. A quick scoop from above will work IF done fast enough, and deep enough, and in the right location, and scooped up fast enough, with small enough mesh. I have been shut-out on catching L. ommatas on two occasions when the person near me was catching dozens. I have finally learned the technique.

Small mesh is the key for me. I think the most common dipnet mesh is 1/8", which ommata generally have no problem slipping through as the water drains out. I have a Perfect Dipnet head (broken yoke) with 1/16" mesh which I use as a handnet, which has a much higher detention rate. And on occasion I have used a conventional (large) pet-store aquarium net. (Which seems to be the only way to consistently catch male Heters.)

d.d.

Do Hets need as much vegetation?

As much .... No.

But in the wild they're always in or around vegetation, and they like to pick at vegetation for algae or micro-critters. So I think they're happier with vegetation than without.