Tropical Fish Forums

[kimbalilly]

Hello!

I've seen some rather pretty golden wonder panchax at my LFSa little while ago and I've been pondering ever since. I've done pretty well not to buy them yet I think!

My questions are:

1. For my tank size (30 gallons) how many could I potentially get in there?
2. I would really like to get an Angel, would these get along or is it a definate nono?
3. Are they OK in fairly new tanks or do they prefer a more mature tank?
4. Does anyone have any general information that would help me make my decision?

All info is greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Maura]

A pair should be fine - not sure if they get grumpy with more than two though. They prefer a planted tank and will hang out in the plants, typically at the top of the tank. They will eat fry like nobody else, but for me that is a good thing.

They are jumpers so make sure you have a good lid.

As long as your tank is cycled I think they will be fine. They are pretty hardy. I got my first one about 2 months into fishkeeping. I've had 4 so far and I've lost each one to jumping. (sadly for them, I have a bad habit of leaving hte lid open after feeding).
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Maura
"You did then what you knew how to do and when you knew better... you did better!" -Maya Angelou

[kimbalilly]

Ah brilliant!

I might go get some then in a week or two. And they should be OK with an angel? Are they aggressive or picky or nippy at all? Or are they fairly placid?

I have a condensation tray and a heavy wooden hood so there's no chance they'll get out!

So you've had no problems with them then?

[Maura]

I haven't had them with angels or other long-finned fish so I don't know what they would be like in that scenario. They are predators so they tend to just hang out still most of the day, and then all of a sudden you'll hear a big splash and you'll have one less baby guppy.. or whatever else is small enough to fit in their LARGE mouths. Aside from the jumping (which you have covered) and their predatory nature (which was a plus in my tank which needed population control), I did not have any other problems with them.

They are gorgeous when fed a varied diet including live or frozen food. One of my males would turn almost neon green along the body and violet through his face when he was really excited about his dinner.
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Maura
"You did then what you knew how to do and when you knew better... you did better!" -Maya Angelou

[yoyo22]

Killies are beautiful fish, I love the sleek lines on them. They do have a lot of "unique" characteristics though, so some research is always best. As noted above, they jump very high indeed, and frequently. Secondly, especially for selectively bred types like the Golden Wonder, they have long plummage, and so they are sensitive to water movement, but they arent as bad as a betta. Still, since they like to be at the surface, if you have a powerful Hang-on Back (HOB) filter, that might cause problems. One other note, I keep a trio of A. Linneatus (var "Golden Wonder") myself, and they tend to like it on the cooler side, say 22 C/ 72 F. Also, a little salt in the water will prevent the unfortunately common Velvet they seem to catch.

There is good information at these sites:

http://aka.org/modules/tinycontent0/index.php?id=4
http://www.killi.net/

I certainly wish you luck with your killies!
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30g Planted: Betta, Platies, Otos, Ember Tetras
10g Planted: Platies Killies --> A vicious cycle!

[nonamethefish]

The golden wonder form of A. lineatus is the same as the wildtype except color...at least as far as I know! Considering only bioload 2-3 pair would be max if you are keeping other fish. But...

People claim males can be kept together with this species but proceed with caution. You may get results ranging from perfect tolerance among the males, occasional spats, fish fighting enough that they practically tire themselves out and burn too many calories(doesn't seem likely with these guys), lesser fish being bullied, or fish killing each other. A larger tank is probably on your side though. Lots of cover is also good. The male to female ratio should be kept though as the males are often looking for a chance to procreate. I keep a colony tank of Aphyosemion splendopleure and things generally go well unless their are too many fish and too few territories. If you can get males of similar size. Killies always surprise you so have some place to put the fish if they can't be kept together.

Good luck! These are fun fish. Also pretty easy to breed!
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46 gallon bowfront tank
10 gallon planted single species tank
10 gallon tank
plus all kinds of smaller containers

[nibbles]

I had males together and they didn't last very long.. the bigger male killed the other males, and ate a bunch of my rainbows... very interesting fish though, definitely get some if you can!

[kimbalilly]

OK thanks for all the good advice!

Its been a great help!

It seems to me that generally they would be OK in my tank. I guess all I can do is get them and see. If they don't get on I'll have to return them!

Anyway I would still appreciate hearing more about anyone elses own experiences with them!

Thanks so far!

[SH]

We've seen these too, guess it's gotta be the same LFS. Beautiful looking fish and we nearly bought a couple today but in the end decided against it due to having fears about the fate of our smaller fish in our existing tank.

We're in the process of setting up a larger tank and wondered about putting them in there when cycling has finished but again decided not to as we'd like some smaller fish too as we think a variety of sizes in the tank looks better than all the same size.

A smaller tank with just these or something else that won't be eaten would be our choice.

Let us know how you go on if you do buy them.

[kimbalilly]

It was at Bardills garden centre, is that where you went? Small world if so!

I don't really have any small fish and I don't plan to get any so I should be OK. I'm still pondering though...