Congo Killies - PageSuite

0. DETERS
The mystery of the locality code explained
Killifish names often have strange-looking abbreviations appended, for
example BDBG 04/15 “Lolo1” or LEC 93/4. These codes make it possible
to keep different populations separate and avoid mixing them together
in the aquarium hobby. These codes are assigned at the discretion of the
collectors and are not subject to any particular rules. They contain fundamental
information and also permit the addition of further data. Thus
BDBG stands for the two collectors Bogaerts and de Bruyn, and the G
represents the country of Gabon; 04 indicates the year 2004 and the 15
stands for collecting site no. 15. “Lolo1” refers to the nearby settlement.
Anyone working with these fishes can find out, on the Internet, for
example, who is behind the codes. Sometimes you can find very precise
additional habitat data in the process, including the GPS data of the location,
the time of capture, and other details such as water depth, current
speed, air and water temperatures, water parameters, and other fishes
caught there. Because the codes describe collecting sites, it may well happen
that two different, but syntopic killifish species bear the same code if
they were caught together at the same site.
How far the information goes is at the discretion of the collector. As
can be seen from the other articles here, the taxonomy of Aphyosemion is
still unresolved, and it is likely that we can expect name changes and new
species descriptions. Names may be altered, but locality codes remain unchanged.
In this way it is possible to tell what fish was originally involved,
even after a revision.
Information on Aphyosemion and other killifishes can be found on the
Internet at the American Killifish Association (www.aka.org) or the UK
Killifish site (www.killi.co.uk). For online purchase directly from breeders,
most of them in the United States, www.AquaBid.com usually sells
various killifish and killifish eggs, including Aphyosemion spp., at auction.
deep but may also be very narrow and shallow. Popular
haunts are shallow areas with trailing bank vegetation or
submerged grasses. Depending on the region,
these areas may also be shaded by surrounding
trees. Still, a planted aquarium is appreciated.
But cover in the form of bogwood and oak
leaves is equally well accepted. Caves may be
investigated out of curiosity, but not deliberately
used.
Bright lighting can cause the fishes to become
more timid and their splendid coloration
won’t look as good. If the vegetation is feathery,
there is even a possibility that the fishes
will spawn in it and occasional juveniles will
survive. If this happens regularly and you want
to keep the young, you should remove the larger
youngsters—they often pose a greater danger to
their younger siblings than the parents do.
It should be obvious that an open-topped
aquarium is out of the question because of the
tendency of the fishes to jump. You can, of
course, allow the surface to become
overgrown with floating plants in
order to limit the jumping to some
extent, but this offers no guarantee
that jumping won’t occur.
Smaller aquariums with a volume
of 6–7 gallons (25 L) are also fine if
used as species tanks.
Suitable starter species
There are many species that could be
listed here. I would suggest first and
foremost the coastal species—that is,
those that need to be kept warmer
and will tolerate tap water. The problem
is that with a few exceptions,
they are not available in the trade.
Aphyosemion australe and Aphyosemion
striatum are well known and
available. Aphyosemion marginatum
and Aphyosemion primigenium are at
least as attractive, but are not common
in the trade.
In my opinion there is a further
reason why Aphyosemion species are
not often found in the trade: wildcaught
specimens are rarely available.
As a result, the killies don’t come to
the attention of the public and are
regarded as demanding and exotic.
The deliberate breeding of Aphyosemion
is relatively time-consuming, and
large numbers cannot be produced
without expense and effort. So killifishes
in general, and Aphyosemion
in particular, have for many years remained hobby fishes
reserved for enthusiasts.
Neolebias unifasciatus is found together with Aphyosemion.
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