- Why Should I be interested in Killifish?
- OK, I am interested in killifish; what do I do
first?
- So, how do I get to know the community?
- How can I find out more about killifish?
- Where else can I find killifish?
- What are trades & swaps about?
Why Killies?
The killifish offer a unique combination of
beauty and richness of behaviors “greater
than or equal to” any of the other fish
families commonly kept in aquaria. However,
unlike other segments in the ornamental fish
hobby, the killifish arena is almost
entirely driven on a “hobbyist to hobbyist”
level; both the fish and the knowledge
transfer are usually facilitated on
person-to-person basis. The printed and
electronic media that contains
killifish related information regularly runs
the gamut from scientifically slanted
publications, to “word of mouth” wives tales.
A recluse might breed angelfish for a
living/pleasure, not so with the killifish,
as anyone operating on their own small
“social island” would find the going
difficult, with a much less rewarding
experience with regard to success.
Get
to know the community: Yes, that is
right; find out all you can about the people
who are in the hobby. You might also attempt
to do a little background research into
killifish, but if you follow this first
step, a lot of the information you seek will
be literally, “spoon fed” to you
Contact other Killifish
enthusiast in your area, they will
advise you on what works locally, where to
find the supplies you need and act as
mentors for knowledge and advise unique to
keeping killifishes. The easiest way to do
this is by
clicking on the region of the map where
you live on this sites homepage. Click on
the club closest to you and the link will
take you to their homepage. contact info
will be there. don't be shy, they put that
contact info there for just this purpose.
EVERY killifish club in the USA not only
welcomes new members, it thrives on them.
You can safely assume there will be no
pressure for dues, labor or any political, religious or other f you
are a minor, let your parents know first or have them contact known
hobbyist in your area.
Go
Here or to the internet and try to find
out who or what organization is your best fit in terms of geography, language,
or culture. However, this is truly an international hobby and
you might discover that reaching out beyond
your current social/geographical status
may be even more rewarding. Use any
search engine and place the keywords
“killies” of killifish, + <your
place/country> and you will likely turn up
a place to start on the 1st page.
If not you can go to anyone of several
general Aquatic Forums and announce yourself
as someone with an interest in killifish. Do
not be shy, many friendly folks will step
forward and direct you from there.
In the
unlikely event someone has not reached out
or contacted you, then go ahead and contact
someone, anyone. Again, if you troll the
forums and mailing list you can see who the
regular posters are or the people that are
involved or active in the hobby; go ahead
and write/email them. So long as you are
friendly, respectful and mindful that people
have priorities outside of the hobby, your
chances of establishing a fruitful contact
are high. Also, bear in mind that while the
internet might give you some inkling of
person’s knowledge, it is a poor vehicle to
gain insight into personality. Everyone is
different, therefore what someone might post
is not necessarily indicative of whom they
are…
The
killifish sector is probably not the ideal
hobby segment for the reclusive personality. You
could measure your gratification/success by
how many species you have OR you could
simply find reward in just getting to know
the people who have a common interest. In
other words, get to know the people in the
hobby and the fish & knowledge will come.
Too often the normal
sequence of events is to obtain the fish
first, then gain the knowledge necessary to
keep it, and then get to know the community
as your interest grows. Within the killifish
enthusiast community, the optimal sequence
of events is different, and this is mostly
driven by the low availability of killifish
species commercially, and the killifish’s diverse biology &
husbandry techniques. In short; your experience would be more
rewarding if you experienced the community first then get the fish &
knowledge directly from a fellow hobbyist with some experience.
Again, few killifish
are bred commercially in numbers. You can
find the occasional gardneri or golden
wonder at commercial outlets, but by in
large, most fish/eggs will be “homegrown”
from fellow hobbyist. That said, there are
five primary avenues to obtain fish, each
has its own pitfalls/advantages w/regard to
in cost, variety and hazards, these are:
Conventions/Fish shows/local Auctions,
On-line auctions, personal trades,
commercial operations.
Conventions,
shows et.
This is the
place to go if you are looking for something
rare/hard to find. The primary reasons are:
club support and access effort; many
breeders are likewise loyal supporters for
their affiliate club, sister affiliate
club(s), and parent club (e.g. AKA).
Moreover, for many breeders it is simply
easier to offer the bulk of their fish here
as opposed to other venues. Killies also
show up at local auctions and fish shows,
but on smaller scale and less variety. As
with any product offered at auction, the
price will vary with local audience demand.
Still, you get to evaluate the stock you are
buying, not to mention; some of the hazards
of shipping the fish via commercial carrier
are removed. (This in of itself often weighs
in against travel cost)
Rule No#1
is; not all trades will be “exactly” even.
That person with 20yrs of killifish
experience already knows his fish are
probably more robust than the fish many
“newbies” are likely to offer. However, what
many people appreciate is ones “effort”
Placing a foil wrapped clump of mud, and
thence in a flat envelope with one stamp and
passing it off as “12 fertile eggs” may
demonstrate that the trader is more
interested in getting their moneys worth
than the receiver having success. Send your
best fish, package the eggs/fish with care,
and you can bet the person on the receiving
end will appreciate it. Although everyone’s
skill and financial status varies, saving
that extra stamp or shipping your smallest
pair will not pay off in the end. Fish die
and many bags of peat will not hatch,
sometimes you might received a few D.O.A’s
that were clearly prime fish at
bagging, but most people understand the
postal “crapshoot”. Be honest about what you
are shipping and let the recipient know if
its “peat” (verified breeders/unverified egg
county) or eggs (known hand counted
“Fertile” eggs). It is very important
species get distributed, so if the fish are
not the best, let them know, always ensure
what you ship is “disease free” and fertile.
Copyright © 2007 Northern Ohio Killifish Association. All rights reserved.
Revised: 01/06/08.
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