# killifish identification?



## banx (Jan 19, 2012)

hello, so i purchased this fish a week ago or so and i misplaced the name. I've tried to identify the fish from that killinet site.

anyways, heres a pic of the fish. also i think the pair might be spawning, her belly is rather large and he is constantly rubbing up against her. kind of reminds of watching salmon while fishing.

so, I think it's CAL Aphyosemion (mes.) calliurum.... banner lyretail.










and heres the fat female, her tail is a little nipped from the male also....


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## Grete_J (Oct 5, 2010)

Can't say I'm the greatest at killi ID, but I thought fundulopanchax gardneri when I saw them


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## banx (Jan 19, 2012)

well this is the first killi i've owned, so any help is huge.

the one you posted is more accurate for sure.....

thanks.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

if you let me borrow your photos, I can ask my killie guru. I'm not advanced enough to hazard a guess.


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## banx (Jan 19, 2012)

yes please. 

cheers


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

banx said:


> yes please.
> 
> cheers


okeydokey - I'll email your photos this afternoon and post the response if/when I get it


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Grete_J said:


> Can't say I'm the greatest at killi ID, but I thought fundulopanchax gardneri when I saw them


Bang on and confirmed! You're good, Grete_J!

This is the conversation the photos generated:

G>It's a Fundulopanchax gardneri.
It could be from any of a half dozen locations, but with the locality tag lost, it's now an aquarium strain. Nice fish - good yellow.
C>Looks like Fundulopanchax nigerianus to me in the first picture (the male in that picture). The second picture is a female of what seems to be Fundulopanchax genus or maybe a large Aphyosemion species. Even with a better picture the female will be difficult to identify. I can't say for sure what it is.
The owner should try to trace the source of the fish to see if they can figure out exactly what it is that way. If the fish came from a store that will probably be a waste of time. 
G>I agree with C_____ even though I gave a different name. The line between what is a gardneri or a nigerianus is a fine one, usually defined by where the fish comes from. I put gardneri because they were all 'gardneris" til recently, and that's still the name that will give a new fishkeeper the info. Technically, the yellow says nigerianus, but if he/she is hunting for information on how to keep the fish, it'll most likely appear under gardneri.
C>G____ is right. They were formerly known as Fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus. The scientific names of some killifish have been changed fairly often, particularly with South American annuals. This makes it difficult to keep up with since killifish are not generally referred to by common names, but rather the scientific names. It looks like they have now started on the South American non-annuals as well. I see that the Rivulus genus appears to have now been broken down into multiple genera.


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## banx (Jan 19, 2012)

thats great thanks.... it's good to know what I actually have.


on a side note the female is n longer fat. i've seen them rubbing together into the gravel. but i don't think thats how she releases her eggs..... the unfortunate thing is it's a community tank so i will never really know why i went to bed and she was fat, and today modelesque. maybe she just dropped a deuce for the ages


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

banx said:


> on a side note the female is n longer fat. i've seen them rubbing together into the gravel. but i don't think thats how she releases her eggs..... the unfortunate thing is it's a community tank so i will never really know why i went to bed and she was fat, and today modelesque. maybe she just dropped a deuce for the ages


they most likely spawned. many fish do in community tanks, but the eggs get eaten right away. If you want to breed them, set them up in a 5 or 10, with a box or sponge filter. There's lots of good info on the 'net on breeding various killies. Do a little reading and have a _lot _of fun


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## banx (Jan 19, 2012)

well this tank showed up at the house unannounced, so it's going to be a while before i convince wifey two tanks stacked on each other is just as asthetic as one 

she's coming along slowly


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

maybe once she starts to like _this_ set-up we can show her how much fun raising killies can be Something about seeing the eyes while they're still in the egg warms up many a heart.
good luck!


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