# Aphyosemion Killifish



## Axelrodi202 (Jun 7, 2009)

For a summer project I'm thinking of turning a 5 gallon bowfront I have lying around in the basement into an Aphyosemion species tank. In particular I'm considering A. exigoideum BWW 00/2, A. primigenium GBN 88/10, A. cognatum CI-2011. Out of these which one would be best suited for a beginner?

I will keep the tank unheated so it'll stay from 73 to 76 degrees during the summer and fall (around 70 in the winter). According to the town tapwater report the TDS ranges from 351 to 774 ppm and the total hardness ranges from 186 to 426 ppm, so I intend to use half RO and half tap water

I was thinking of having a sand subtrate with copious amounts of moss and driftwood. Would a bare bottom tank be better? Also, would I be better off using a tetra in-tank whisper filter or a small sponge filter?


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## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

Axelrodi202 said:


> For a summer project I'm thinking of turning a 5 gallon bowfront I have lying around in the basement into an Aphyosemion species tank. In particular I'm considering A. exigoideum BWW 00/2, A. primigenium GBN 88/10, A. cognatum CI-2011. Out of these which one would be best suited for a beginner?
> 
> I will keep the tank unheated so it'll stay from 73 to 76 degrees during the summer and fall (around 70 in the winter). According to the town tapwater report the TDS ranges from 351 to 774 ppm and the total hardness ranges from 186 to 426 ppm, so I intend to use half RO and half tap water
> 
> I was thinking of having a sand subtrate with copious amounts of moss and driftwood. Would a bare bottom tank be better? Also, would I be better off using a tetra in-tank whisper filter or a small sponge filter?


I have kept killies for 40 years but I still consider myself in the learning stage but will try to help you answer your question. I would not go with the cognatums for many reasons; they are much more delicate and a 5 gallon aqarium is rather small, for a fish that can grow to almost three inches. Out of the group the primigeniums would be your best choice. My choice for your setup would be one of the smaller Chromoaphyosemions. I keep about 30 -5 gallon aquariums with killies and I use sponge filters in all of them. I rinse them out in tempered aquarium water every two months and have had no problems. Killies don't like strong current, especially ifn your goal is to spawn them. I do keep live plants in all my five gallon tanks. I use java fern and water sprite both plants have proven to be excellent plants utilizing simple single bulb flourescent fixtures over the rows of tanks.I don't use substrates in my tanks but there is no reason I can think of not to do so. There are only a few species that I worry about ph, but I am concerned with the hardness of the water since I do breed my killies and so I use a 50/50 mix of tap and RO. Good Luck and I hope this was of some help.


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