Breeding Fundulopanchax gardneri Jos Plateau
By Kenneth Balog
From Wet Pet Gazette, Norwalk Aquarium Society
Aquarticles
Fundulopanchax gardenri is a beautiful semi-annual killifish from west central
Africa. The species is comprised of a large number of geographical subspecies and color
variants ranging from yellow through reds, greens, and blues.
The subject of this article, Fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus Jos Plateau,
comes from the Jos Plateau region of central Nigeria. Its habitat ranges from streams,
pools and ponds in forests and grasslands of the region. The water is soft and slightly
acidic with temperatures ranging from 74-79 degrees Fahrenheit. The Jos Plateau population
reaches a maximum size of approximately 2 ½ inches. Males are sky blue with red spots
across the head and body. The unpaired fins are blue at the body with a red stripe and
finally a broad yellow border. Females are dull brown with dark brown spots and a light
abdomen. The females are generally smaller with a larger girth.
Fundulopanchax gardneri is a classic two-week mop-spawning killifish. As such,
a pair was placed in a bare 2 ½ gallon tank with just an airstone. The fish seemed
happiest with a very gentle current in the tank, so the airflow was kept very low. The
water was 74 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH of 6.8, and 40-60 % water changes were made
almost every day. The fish were fed a variety of flakes, frozen, and live foods. The male
and female got along well from the start and no problems with diseases were experienced.
A spawning mop was added to the tank and suspended below a plastic fishing float, and
the fish proceeded to produce eggs at a rate of 7- 34 a day. (This prolific egg production
was shocking in light of earlier experiences with the Baiisa population. That fish
produced at most 1 or 2 eggs per week) The largest spawns were observed the day after a
large feeding of meaty foods, especially baby brine shrimp. Spawning occurred most often
in the morning and just before the lights went out at night. The eggs were well hidden
within 3 inches of the top or bottom of the mop in classic switch-spawner fashion. The
eggs measured approximately 1/8 inch in diameter and were clear to light amber in color.
Each night, the mop was pulled, squeezed lightly and the eggs were hand picked and
placed in a shallow bowl with about 3/4 inch of water to incubate. The eggs were quite
tough and the few that were crushed in handling were either unfertilized or just laid.
Non-viable eggs were attacked by fungus as noted by a change in color to white. These eggs
were removed with an eyedropper as soon as they were seen. Small water changes were made
every few days using water from the parents' tank.
Over the next two weeks, the eggs gradually darkened and the eyes became visible.
Hatching occurred at 14-16 days at 74 degrees. All fry were moved to a separate rearing
bowl by eyedropper as they appeared. The fry were approximately 3/16 of an inch in length
at hatching, and possessed little or no yolk sac. The fry were free-swimming almost
immediately and could take microworms and baby brine shrimp without difficulty. Uneaten
food was removed daily by eyedropper and small water changes were well tolerated by the
fry.
The fry were extremely hardy and virtually no losses were experienced. Well-fed on a
variety of foods they reached ½ inch at 3 weeks and 1 inch in 5 weeks. No sibling
cannibalism was observed, so it wasn't necessary to separate them by size.
All told, Fundulopanchax gardneri is a beautiful, easy to keep killifish that
is well-suited for any aquarist who wants to try breeding fish.
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