SPAWNING THE FUNDULOPANCHAX GARDNERI AKURE

by Denyce K. Trudeau - KAS

Fundulopanchax gardneri Akure is a relatively new
species of killifish now available to the tropical fish
hobbyist. Natively found in Africa, this species is
found in swampy ponds where the water is still and
very often stagnant.

At maturity, the male reaches approximately 2-1/2
inches; the female approximately 2 inches. The
sexes are easily distinguished. The female is a drab
brown with a reddish cast highlighting on the body;
only a few red spots add color to her, while the body
color of the male is turquoise blue with heavy red
spotting. At the base of each fin is a stripe of bright
red. This red stripe is edged with lemon yellow
which extends to the tips of the fins. The tail of the
female is rounded, whereas, the tail of the male is
elongated and resembles a lyretail.

Prepared foods are only accepted when very hungry.
F. g. Akure definitely prefers small living foods such
as live Tubifex worms, adult brine shrimp, and
mosquito larvae. When live foods are furnished,
coloring is more brilliant and activity level is
noticeably higher. In order for mature specimens to
be in optimum condition for breeding, live foods
should be fed exclusively.

Water conditions are not critical. They seem to
prefer, though, a container of approximately 2
gallons in size filled with well aged water. While
filtering and heat are tolerated, they are at their
best in water within a temperature range of 70 to 74
degrees which is perfectly still. When the water
moves as a result of filtering, they most often hide
in the plants or behind rocks that are used for
landscaping. When the water is still, they are seen
swimming out in the open with no signs of being
timid. They are most active and their color is best
seen when the water has a pH value of between 6 and
6.4. When researching killifish, we most often find
that it is recommended that some salt be added to
their water. However, through experimenting with
this species, I personally found that they become
stressed when even the smallest amount of salt is
present in their water. For that reason I chose not to
add any salt at all.

After purchasing a pair of F. g. Akure, I acclimated
them into a tank that I had previously set up as
follows:

1) a 2-gallon drum bowl;

2) 2-1/2 inches black gravel (the eggs show up
better against dark colored gravel);

3) a small piece of petrified wood (to help in
keeping the pH in the proper range, for shelter, and
for landscaping purposes;

4) water - temperature @ 72 degrees, pH @ 6.2;

5) moderately planted with _live_ Mondo Grass and
Amazon Swords, Water Sprite floating on the
surface;

6) lighting was provided by a 7-watt incandescent
bulb in a Shell-Light.

After being acclimated for approximately 15
minutes, they were released into the bowl and
settled in right away.

They were fed live mosquito larvae in the morning
and live Tubifex worms in the afternoon and evening.
When live mosquito larvae and adult brine shrimp are
not available, 3 small feedings of live Tubifex
worms are suggested.

Eight days later the male began chasing the female
around the tank. Eggs were laid both on the bottom
among the plant bases and at the water's surface
among the Water Sprite. At this time, using a bulb-
type turkey baster, 1/2 of the water in the tank was
removed and put into a 2-gallon rectangular tank.
Some of the Water Sprite was taken out and put into
the second tank. This served two purposes: any eggs
that happened to be on the plants would be
transferred; and to provide shelter and hiding places
for the fry once they hatched. Aged water, kept at
70 degrees with a pH reading of 6.2 was taken out of
a 5-gallon bucket and added to the original tank.
More Water Sprite was also added to the tank. Using
the baster, eggs found at the bottom of the tank were
siphoned and put into the hatching tank. Each time
eggs were added to the hatching tank, the water
level would slowly be raised; thus not shocking the
eggs with fresh tap water. The eggs are easily
harvested when dark gravel is used; looking a lot
like small glass beads. They are easily picked off
the plants. The fertile eggs are very hard. Infertile
eggs dissolve instantly when picked up.
Approximately 7 to 10 eggs are found daily for about
14 days in a row. Then for 6 to 8 days there is a
resting period when no eggs are found. After this
resting period, eggs will again be laid and found.

The eggs hatch in approximately 10 days when the
water temperature is 72 degrees. Sometimes the
temperature may rise to around 76 degrees because
of the heat radiated from the lights or an increase in
room temperature. When the water reaches 76
degrees or higher, the eggs take at least 16 days to
hatch. The reason for this is unknown. When first
hatched the fry are very small and look a lot like
splinters. They are free swimming immediately.

Either infusoria or liquid fry food make excellent
first foods for the first week. Because growth is
rapid, after the first week they may be fed newly
hatched brine shrimp. Feeding small amounts 3
times daily proved to be sufficient. At this point
growth rate is even faster and the fry have to be
separated according to size or the larger fry will
begin to eat the smaller ones.

Because F. g. Akure prefers aged water, water
changes of 10% weekly were done. If not over fed,
this is more than sufficient to keep the water clean
and clear.

Once the fry were about 1/2 inch long, newly hatched
Paradise Fish fry were fed. I have 3 pairs of
Paradise Fish that each spawn once every week. I
encourage their spawning for the purpose of using
the fry as feeders. This is an excellent source of
food for two reasons. One, the fry are still young
enough to have their yolk sacs, thus providing a high
protein diet; second, unlike newly hatched brine
shrimp, the Paradise Fish fry don't die after being in
the tank for an extended period of time. This
eliminates the danger of fouling the water by
overfeeding. Many people find the use of fry as
feeders mean and cruel, while the majority of
aquarists totally accept this as a part of aquatic
life. I mean to offend no one. If though, I have,
please know that it is not intentional.

Fundulopanchax gardneri Akure is a beautiful and
easy species of fish to keep. For those with limited
available space, it is an excellent fish to keep, as
are most species of killifish.

Anyone interested in acquiring this killifish, please
contact me. At the rate that this pair is spawning,
I'm sure to have plenty to go around.

Reprinted with permission from The Kitsap Aquarian,
June 1990, pp. 7-