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Killifish
/ Cyprinodontidae / American Flagfish
American Flagfish
Jordanella floridae | Pictures
Synonyms: Cyprinodon
floridae
Physical description: A stocky bodied species with a "lumpy" body profile.
The back is brown to olive and the flanks
are gray brown with a light green iridescence.
The flanks are marked with numerous rows of red spots.
There
is a dark spot in the middle of the flanks.
The anal and dorsal fins are reddish while the other fins are colorless.
Size/Length: To 2.3" (6 cm)
Similar species: None
Habitat: North America; inhabits still and slow-moving marshes, ponds, swamps, and lakes from
the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) north to Florida.
S: bottom, middle
Aquarium: A 20" (51 cm) or 10 gallon (38 L) tank is sufficient.
The tank should be densely planted with
species that can tolerate cooler water.
Leave open swimming areas and use a dark substrate.
This species is most comfortable when
the tank receives sunlight and there is some algal growth.
Water chemistry: pH 6.7-8.2 (7.7), 6-20 dH (12), 66-72°F (19-22°C)
Social behavior: An active species which is peaceful towards most other companions, but combative towards
its own species.
This species guards its brood.
Suggested companions: Livebearers, Loricarids,
Corydoras , minnows.
FOOD: Flake; live; insect larvae, insects, worms, crustaceans; spinach; algae.
Sexual differences:
Males are colorful, while females are dull brown.
Females are fuller bodied, with less
elongated fins.
Breeding techniques:
Raise the water temperature to 73-77°F (23-25°C).
The pair should be placed in a spawning
tank of their own furnished with many fine-leafed plants, and retreats for the female.
The eggs are laid each day, in previously
dug pits in the substrate or in the plants.
The spawning process continues for several days until as many as 80
eggs are laid.
Remove the female after spawning is complete.
The eggs are guarded by the male and
hatch in 6-9 days.
Start feeding with Paramecia and infusoria.
Breeding potential: 5.
Breeding is easy.
Remarks:
This species can be kept in outdoor ponds during the summer.
Difficulty of care: 3.
This hardy species is ideal for a temperate community
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
How to save the world's oceans from overfishing
(7/8/2007) Global fishing stocks are in trouble. After expanding from 18 millions tons in 1950 to around 94 million tons in 2000, annual world fish catch has leveled off and may even be declining. Scientists estimate that the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has fallen by 90 percent since the 1950s, while about one-quarter of the world's fisheries are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Despite these dire trends, the situation is changing. Today some of the world's largest environmental groups are focused on addressing the health of marine life and oceans, while sustainable fisheries management is at the top of the agenda for intergovenmental bodies. At the forefront of these efforts is Mike Sutton, director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's conservation program: the Center for the Future of the Oceans. The aquarium, which has long been recognized as one of the world's most important marine research facilities, is pioneering new strategies for protecting the planet's oceans. Sutton says the approach has four parts: establishing new marine protected areas, pushing for ocean policy reform, promoting sustainable seafood, and protecting wildlife and marine ecosystems.
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