free online Killifish book

Recently I purchased some of EricV 's Killifish for a new 10 gallon setup I made. So far things are great, the fish arrived in great shape and seem to be enjoying their new planted tank. I'm waiting to see how breeding goes.

I have been doing lots of research on Killifish and stumbled upon this free book online. It has a ton of good info not only for Killifish but all fishkeepers. It is titled "A Guide To Keeping Killifish" written by Tyrone Genade. Here is the link...

http://tgenade.freeshell.org/killibook/keepingkillifish.pdf

I'm not all the way finished with it yet, but I thought I would share for others that want to read up on them. There is a lot of info in the beginning that applies to all fish.

One part in particular that I found interesting is his explanation of stress and the aging process. He explains that any stress causes animals to use more energy just to sustain life, therefore creating more free-radicals and accelerating the aging process.

I think this is particularly relevant in cases where someone has fish X in a tank that is way to small for them. The owner states that their fish seems fine, and doesn't believe their fish needs a bigger tank. While the fish seems fine, it is living a stressed life, therefor accelerating the aging process and leading to a shorten lifespan, as well as contributing to more susceptibility to disease and other issues.

The author definitely knows his stuff and writes using a lot of scientific knowledge as well as stuff related to him from other killifish experts. And you can't go wrong with a free book about fish keeping, haha.

 

Thank you for posting the link. It will not let me down load the book but I saved the link to my desktop. I plan to read it soon. I have a 29 gal that is severely under stocked and have been interested in killifish for a while.

EDIT: Dolfan know any reliable sources for colorful killifish that are not annuals?

 

Just EricV , His Fundulopanchax GardenerI are a non annual species that is very colorful.

As for downloading, it is tricky for me too, I had to hit reload a few times on my web browser and then just let it sit for a moment. It didn't look like it was doing anything, and then it pops up.

 

Just EricV , His Fundulopanchax GardenerI are a non annual species that is very colorful.

As for downloading, it is tricky for me too, I had to hit reload a few times on my web browser and then just let it sit for a moment. It didn't look like it was doing anything, and then it pops up.

Cool, thank you for the info. When the time comes I will contact EricV.

I will try the down load again.

 

I got a bit confused on the term "annual" in regards to fish. From what I'm reading, it appears by this it means that in the wild, when the water dries up they sort of go into a stasis type state until the rains come and they awaken?

Or am I completely confused, and it means they only live for 1 year?

 

Many of them only live for one year, thus *annual*.

 

I got a bit confused on the term "annual" in regards to fish. From what I'm reading, it appears by this it means that in the wild, when the water dries up they sort of go into a stasis type state until the rains come and they awaken?

Or am I completely confused, and it means they only live for 1 year?

When it comes to killifish the annuals usually live for less than a year. Basically they live and spawn in temporary pools and lay their eggs in the mud. The pools dry up, all of the fish die, and the eggs go into diapause. Next time the rainy season rolls around and the eggs are wet again they hatch and the cycle repeats.

 

EricV I see you are in Pittsburg PA I live in the Akron Oh area. When the time comes could I drive there to pick up the fish? Also do you have a website?

 

I'm not opposed to a pickup (and I'm actually about a half hour or so west/northwest of the city so I'm even closer to your neck of the woods). Might be cheaper to just mail them when you factor in the cost of driving here and back but that's for you to decide.

 

I'm not opposed to a pickup (and I'm actually about a half hour or so west/northwest of the city so I'm even closer to your neck of the woods). Might be cheaper to just mail them when you factor in the cost of driving here and back but that's for you to decide.

Cool, thank you.

There is a place called slippery rock coral that I hope to get to sometime. That would be a two birds one stone thing

 

If you're in the area I'd also suggest checking out Wet Pets in murraysville. Absolutely fantastic store. They even breed their own discus there and have a bunch of fish that I've never seen anywhere else.

 

If you're in the area I'd also suggest checking out Wet Pets in murraysville. Absolutely fantastic store. They even breed their own discus there and have a bunch of fish that I've never seen anywhere else.

Will do. I will be going back to work the end of the month.

 

So the non-annual Killifish, about how long can they live in captivity?

 

Most of the non-annuals have a lifespan of around 3 years give or take. Equivalent to most small aquarium fish.

 

Thanks for the link.