# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Killifish >  Aphyoplatys duboisi and....

## stormhawk

Brought these back after visiting a fellow killiekeeper from Malaysia:





Aphyoplatys duboisi, in the flesh. They're very cute little fish and behave much like clown killies, Pseudepiplatys annulatus. 

Not forgetting, another gem of an SAA:





Terranatos dolichopterus Isla Raton RDB 92-22

Seeing this species again after several years since Ron lost his all-male group was priceless. Not forgetting the other species I saw when I was at his fish room.  :Grin:

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## SirBest

What other species did you acquire besides the above mentioned?

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## stormhawk

Only these two and Aphyosemion australe Orange juveniles for Ron.

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## SirBest

> Only these two and Aphyosemion australe Orange juveniles for Ron.


 I was expecting more, perhaps.

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## stormhawk

Meeting me and my gf's expectations was the main objective of my trip up north. I am glad to bring these back in good shape after so many years of them missing from our shores. Besides, the Terranatos are already spawning. There are 2 upcoming killie shows in Europe:

SKLIK (Slavic nations) - 8-10 June 2012, Odessa, Ukraine
BKV (Belgium - Dutch speaking) - 9-10 June 2012 - Broechem, Ranst, Belgium (near Antwerp)

If you were expecting more, feel free to go for the shows and bring back some fish.

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## Shi Xuan

Nice Aphyoplatys duboisi and Terranatos dolichopterus. Any updates on them? :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Late reply, but the Terranatos have passed on. I managed to collect a bag of eggs but only time will tell if they were fertile. The duboisi are spawning but quite slowly. Most of the eggs fungused so it might be a problem either with the water or the male's fertility. Either way, they are laying eggs. I should be wetting my bag of Notho eggs I brought back from the trip this weekend.

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## Wackytpt

Where you went during the weekend?

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## stormhawk

I meant I was going to wet the bag of Notho eggs this weekend.  :Laughing:

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## RonWill

> Late reply, but the Terranatos have passed on. I managed to collect a bag of eggs but only time will tell if they were fertile


 Drats... it's not easy to lay hands on DOL, let alone a pair!! Sometimes I count my blessings to NOT have so many tanks!! *looks around... oh nevermind!!*  :Laughing: 

BTW, don't wet the DOL's eggs prematurely. These [email protected] buggers really need up to 6 months to incubate and develop properly.

FYI, the _Aphyoplatys duboisi_ pair is still around. Female hides most of the time and maybe that's why I thought she konked. No fry yet... not like I can spot them in that jungle  :Shocked:

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## Shi Xuan

Hi Ron,

P.S I read about this species somewhere in a Japanese blog so just take my words as a pinch of salt if you wish...& here it goes...

All you need;
-A small tub/container (around 3L-5L), those that you used to keep/breed the Pseudoepiplatys annulatus 
-Lots of peat fibre
-Lots of Java moss (Like what you described, a jungle??)

Preparation;
-Add 1-2 ramshorn snails & a pair of Aphyoplatys duboisi into the container. (An aged/well-established container would be preferable since it has a lot of micro-organisms as food for the tiny fry.)
-The breeding pair is basically fed frozen bloodworms daily and baby brine shrimps once in a while. 20% water changes is done weekly. They are left in the container for a month before being separated for conditioning. 
-Fry should be seen in the container after 2-3 weeks (perhaps earlier in our hot climate) 

Generally, from what I read, I believe their eggs are just as sensitive as the ANN you once bred. They don't need a big tank to spawn and their fry are about the same size as ANN. Not a very prolific fish either. It seems that the 1st month immediately after hatching is a critical period for fry survival, so they have to be closely monitored.

Regards,
Shi Xuan

Oh & please update on these 2 species. I think the information can be useful, especially Aphyoplatys duboisi.

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## RonWill

Just when I thought I've been feeding an empty tank again, I spotted a small group, about 6 1.5cm _Aphyoplatys duboisi_ juvenile and 3 2mm fry, all hiding in a forest of moss. The adults (can't remember whether a pair or trio) are, surprisingly, still alive leh...  :Grin:

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## RonWill

As for the _Terranatos dolichopterus_, and if one look hard enough, they might find a pair or two of these under unker's care. Price-wise, if you have to ask, it's probably an arm and a leg... or both...  :Grin:

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## Shi Xuan

> Just when I thought I've been feeding an empty tank again, I spotted a small group, about 6 1.5cm _Aphyoplatys duboisi_ juvenile and 3 2mm fry, all hiding in a forest of moss. The adults (can't remember whether a pair or trio) are, surprisingly, still alive leh...


Now, that's a good news. I shall wait patiently for the day I've some swim in my tanks.  :Very Happy:

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## Shi Xuan

> As for the _Terranatos dolichopterus_, and if one look hard enough, they might find a pair or two of these under unker's care. Price-wise, if you have to ask, it's probably an arm and a leg... or both...


Nothing about the Terranatos right now. Waiting for Pterolebias phasianus eggs to eye up... is taking forever... but I'm ready to raise killies with tiny fry. Tonnes of micro food right now but I have very few tiny mouths to feed.

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## Draka

> Just when I thought I've been feeding an empty tank again, I spotted a small group, about 6 1.5cm _Aphyoplatys duboisi_ juvenile and 3 2mm fry, all hiding in a forest of moss. The adults (can't remember whether a pair or trio) are, surprisingly, still alive leh...


Haha jungles seem to be a low-maintenance way of getting a few surviving fry huh.  :Razz: 
Would be a good idea if _certain_ *ahem* aquatic worms can be placed in since when they divide into new worms, the new worms are really quite small...  :Roll Eyes:

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## Shi Xuan

Whatever Ron does, is somewhat the same as how he managed to spawn the Pseudepiplatys annulatus.
I've seen the Aphyoplatys duboisi myself. Tiny killie but the color is brilliant. This should be a neat fish to work with. :Smile:

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## Draka

Haha just googled. They do look brilliant ^^

EDIT: Silly me. Of course they look brilliant! They're the topic of this thread! Omg my coffee has worn off at this time of the night... I didn't even realise I was looking at the same fishes  :Knockout:

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## stormhawk

As usual, my duboisi pair are spawning like clockwork, but eggs stay fertile for 2 days or so then kaput. Might be due to the little white worms running about in the tank. I intend to move my adult pair to a separate tank with just a peat bottom and nothing much else. Much like how the original breeder kept them. He left them in a typical plastic tank with just some peat on the bottom and very little aeration. No snails by the way.

The Terranatos I brought back from my latest trip to another location are now with Ronnie. Young but ready to go boom boom. Let's see the end result in half a year's time or so.  :Grin: 

I might go to Penang again later next year so maybe.. I might be able to bring back some other species. No promises though.

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## RonWill

> As usual, my duboisi pair are spawning like clockwork, but eggs stay fertile for 2 days or so then kaput


 Your tanks' feng shui no good lah... but if you're suspicious about those little worms, do something about it.




> Much like how the original breeder kept them. He left them in a typical plastic tank with just some peat on the bottom and very little aeration. No snails by the way


 Sounds simple enough. I do things differently, of course!  :Grin: ... but no plants as well???

My home tanks are more neglected than those at work and I've pretty much decided to leave the Terranatos with my favorite unker, where they will receive better care, regular meals and water changes.

GC unker will condition both pairs and attempt spawning them, fish gods willing. One pair will be for sale but buyers will be vetted... no beginners (to fishkeeping), please, as a young-adult pair still command a princely sum. Experienced breeders, however, are more than welcomed to have a go at these very understated gems.

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## RonWill

> Haha jungles seem to be a low-maintenance way of getting a few surviving fry huh


 Low maintenance jungle tanks are not by choice, really. Given the time spent, or rather the lack of it, with my home tanks, I've lost many fishes and batches of juveniles. Losses include non-killies... _Corydoras hastatus_, _C. Venezuelanus_ sp. Black, Manacapuru-cross angels, etc... Temps in my hall tanks just aren't ideal.

*ahem* little wrigglers were there many moons ago, even before we realized what they were  :Grin:

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## Shi Xuan

> I might go to Penang again later next year so maybe.. I might be able to bring back some other species. No promises though.


JY, if you do, I could ask you to help me obtain a pair or two of Aphyoplatys duboisi. They are too good to miss out.

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## Draka

> Low maintenance jungle tanks are not by choice, really. Given the time spent, or rather the lack of it, with my home tanks, I've lost many fishes and batches of juveniles. Losses include non-killies... _Corydoras hastatus_, _C. Venezuelanus_ sp. Black, Manacapuru-cross angels, etc... Temps in my hall tanks just aren't ideal.
> 
> *ahem* little wrigglers were there many moons ago, even before we realized what they were


Haha I know la, just teasing you nia. I do like the added "safety" of the plants though, as recommended by you know who.

Aha, don't be so quick to confirm the name har. I've been through these things with a 60x microscope, and though I can't be sure if we have got the same one, since I had two sources of these, one from GC unker and the other from Superstar Aquarium, they really don't look like _D. sp._ leh. I'm getting a 100x microscope to look at these once my bloody exams are over, and I'll be checking with GC unker also what he has  :Grin:  Suffice to say though, they should be something closely related.

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## Shi Xuan

A while back, I passed a pair of my breeding adults to Sam, along with most, if not all of Ronnie's duboisi. Prior to that, I've been keeping them in a plastic critter container, with peat, dead leaves, Java moss and bladderworts. No aeration and water changes, except for the occasional top up of water that has evaporated. It stood at the highest shelf of my steel rack, receiving only partial sunlight that seep through the window sill. 

Being such a reclusive fish, I didn't bother to check on them and let nature take its course. After giving away the pair, I left the tank as it is, until one fine afternoon, when I decided to take a look at it, to see if the pair has laid any eggs before I gave them away. Indeed, I was really surprised - not to see eggs, but two fry. Then a day before, a third one was seen but it darted away after remaining stationary for a few seconds. 

So here it is, their "Natural habitat";



 :Smile:

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## Rutilans

Congrats bro!

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## Shi Xuan

Well, they have actually been in there for quite some time, just that I'm lazy to post any photos of them. Taking a good photo of them is hard, being such a shy fish and I didn't like the idea of tearing down the tank just to catch them for a good photo shoot. However, I'm pretty sure I have at least a pair in it. One of the fella already has the markings of a male and when the light falls on the side of the tank, the faint blue on the body starts to glow. 

At least I manage to spawn them, so I'm going to stick with this natural spawning method and besides, it's almost maintenance free. 

Here's a photo of how this fish looks like;



Photo taken from sfbaka.net.

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## stormhawk

Messy tanks are always their favorite. Keep them going Shi Xuan. I just got no space for these little guys at the moment. Sam has his population back on track with a lot of fry now.

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## Shi Xuan

> Messy tanks are always their favorite. Keep them going Shi Xuan. I just got no space for these little guys at the moment. Sam has his population back on track with a lot of fry now.


Yeah, I'm sure he does. Saw it on Aquabid. 

I'm going to try continuing the line. No one else has this fish except for Sam. I think it was a good idea sharing our fish around.... good way to keep it going.

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## RonWill

> I just got no space for these little guys at the moment


 You did tell me about keeping a pair while the rest went to Sam... so... ??? Try not to kill them eh *big evil grin*

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## Shi Xuan

> You did tell me about keeping a pair while the rest went to Sam... so... ??? Try not to kill them eh *big evil grin*


Just checked the tank and found another 1 cm fry, so this bring the total number to four. Looks like a peat substrate with plenty of moss and bladderworts work for these little fish. Temperature doesn't seem too critical for them. 

So..what killies do you have now?

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## stormhawk

Female found dead behind the sponge filter so I passed on the 2 males (1 kinky back) to Shi Xuan to pair up with his juveniles. Going to get 1 species of annual in again, maybe constanciae.  :Laughing:

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## Shi Xuan

Updates....

No photo of the fish yet. Tried my best but one of the male darted off as I readied my camera. As of writing, they are about 1 - 1.5 cm. Not much information about them but I heard someone mentioning that they are only fully mature in a year's time. 

Managed to catch a glimpse of the males though and even at 1 cm, they are showing a subtle blue. 

As for the pair of males Jianyang passed me, they have passed on. Not sure why, I guess it's the change in water parameter when I did a 30% water change (They are kept in a separate tank). Seems like they prefer "old water". Natural breeding works for these fish, just like Pseudepiplatys annulatus.

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## Shi Xuan

Managed to catch one of the males swimming near the front tank and so here he is;









Pardon for the lousy photos. It's an old acrylic tank and there are some scratches on it. I have a few more fishes hiding in the moss and I think this is the bolder one.

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## stormhawk

They are beautiful when kept in the right setup, otherwise people just see them as some puny nondescript fish.

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## Shi Xuan

> They are beautiful when kept in the right setup, otherwise people just see them as some puny nondescript fish.


I do agree with that. People think they are not much of a looker compared to many other killies but I beg to differ. Indeed, when kept in the right setup, their subtle colors start to glow; blue and yellow.

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