# Killifish or Betta?



## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

If I was to make a pond in a 100 gallon viv (just considering it), what kind of fish would be more compatible with darts? I think a group of leucs would go into it.

Obviously this would be more of a display tank, so aesthetically pleasing fish would be ideal.

I understand that some Killifish are "annual", and I'd rather not replace them every couple of months. Bettas on the other hand can be aggressive, and I wonder if they would attack a frog.

Any input? Is it a bad idea to begin with?


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## daemonfly (Dec 6, 2006)

Most killifish are "annual", but there are a few that aren't, although I'm not too sure which ones those are. Try http://www.killi.net/ or http://www.killies.com/ for info.

There was a thread or two somewhat recently on bettas, and the only real concern was if they would go after the tads or not. They won't attack a frog (unless you have a really aggressive one that attacks everything ), they only really attack other heavy finnage fish. I'm sure a search would bring it up.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Killifish are very variable fish. A few of them are adapted to "annual" lifestyle, but they will still last 1-2 years if taken good care of.

I would reccomend the Genuses Aphyosemion and Rivulus for possible use in the water section.


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## technofile (Aug 10, 2007)

Most of the South Americans would be a real pain when they say annual they mean annual. Life spans on these guys are like 6-8 months (the rainy season) but from egg to breeding size in like 1 to 2 months so they can be exciting. You will probably want to stick to west africans as they tend to have longer life spans.

I would also tell you that killies used to be refered to as tooth carps, many of them have teeth and know how to use them. So exercise caution and be sure to get a speci that is on the small side. 

Rivulus (as Dendrobait mentioned) would be an interesting choice, in nature they spend quite a bit of time out of the water, they like to jump up and stick to the bottom of leaves waiting for an insect to float by and then they pounce.

Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax would also be a good choice as they live for many years and will probably breed for you. Many don't need there eggs to dry out. But here again be sure to check out the size of the adults some are quite large and agressive. 

btw: This is my first post on the board. I used to be very into killies though it has been years since I sold my last breeding trio off. At one time I had 28 tanks set up in my fish room. I am very new to pdfs I have been lurking for about 2 years and have yet to set up my first viv. Though I am planing to build 2- 20verts this weekend (we will see). 

ttfn:
Holly


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Hello technofile and welcome to DB!

I guess I could also be a killikeeper on hiatus...but that is more due to getting ready for college than moving on to other things. I am hanging onto some gardneri for as long as possible though.


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## technofile (Aug 10, 2007)

Thanks Dendrobait, gardneri is the killie that I first fell in love with and even though I kept many other species I was never without them. I can see so many parallels between killies and darts it is not funny. I really can't wait to get started with darts and I think that now after two years research I am finally ready for them. Now I just need to put that education into practice.

Conman3880, I realized after I sent my response that I had not answered your original question. "Darts or Bettas". With the my experience I would say if you like pdfs then killies are probably more likely to attract your attention as I said above there are many parallels such as people trying to breed the fish to match nature rather than mutate it into something that is barely recognizable (have you ever seen a wild caught betta?) But that is just me; you may have your own preferences. Also I would mention that bettas prefer a slightly harder water then killies and harder water means hardwater stains. Both prefer live foods and most love fruit flies. Though I would be sure to vary their diet.

I would make one more (er em push) for killies, since many of them come from temporary pools they are highly adapted to living in very small bodies of water. More than a few killie breeders use half filled shoe boxes to house adults in and breed them indefinitely that way. Bettas though they can handle similar (cough abuse) conditions there natural environments really dry up and usually have at least a trickle of water flowing through the drainage ditch or stream where they live.

Conman3880, of course the larger question that you might want to ask is not one that I feel qualified to answer and so I will only point out the question and then differ to other more expert people on the list. Perhaps Dendrobait can offer an opinion. The question is should you be keeping fish in your viv with your pdfs. The problem that I tend to worry about is this fish no matter whether they are bettas or killies do better in larger bodies of water, i.e. deeper wider and longer. It is my understanding that pdfs can not swim so if they happen to fall in how are they going to get out? 

ttfn: Holly


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

technofile said:


> It is my understanding that pdfs can not swim so if they happen to fall in how are they going to get out?


It's a misconception that darts cant swim. They CAN swim; they just dont like to & they get tired easily. This is solved with slopes easy out of the water and/or branches leading out of the water for them climb on.

All of you have been a tremendous help-- I think I'll go with Killies.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Corey(Kerokero) has written a post more than once on his opinions of fish mixed with dartfrogs...search for it somewhere. For anyone considering keeping fish in the water section, it is a good read. 

To sum up his posts...remember rules of aquarium keeping do not change and the breeding behavior of darts is meant to avoid bodies of water with fish in them.

I would go with killifish as you can get species that fully grown, are significantly smaller than a betta. Thus, they are less likely to cause any issues with the frogs. They will likely eat tadpoles though!

technofile: aside from needing Repcal and Herptivite(LOL...that is probably the only thing that I do not like about darts)they are basically moist killifish. I think there are 2 or 3 other killifish or ex killifish people on these boards.(similarly, a lot of killifish people keep/have kept darts, orchids, or reefs...these 3 hobbies are very similar).


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## technofile (Aug 10, 2007)

Conman3880 said:


> It's a misconception that darts cant swim. They CAN swim; they just dont like to & they get tired easily. This is solved with slopes easy out of the water and/or branches leading out of the water for them climb on.


Wow that is great news it opens up all kinds of design possibilities!



Dendrobait said:


> Corey(Kerokero) has written a post more than once on his opinions of fish mixed with dartfrogs...search for it somewhere. For anyone considering keeping fish in the water section, it is a good read.


I will check it out, as bringing killies in sounds interesting. 

Thanks,
Holly


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

Another thing that no one has mentioned is Dwarf shrimp  A small group of the right ones would be even better than any shrimp. 

Cherries may be a great choice for your tank, they add a splash of color and take all kinds of water parameters. 

-Andrew


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