Hatching Killifish

[Idris]

I'm thinking of getting some Killifish eggs from eBay and trying to hatch them.
I've read it's best to rear them in their own tank and feed them on things like brineshrimp till they're big enough to go into a community tank.

If I get a batch of 20 eggs, how many could I expect to make it to adulthood?

How big should the fry be before they go into my community tank and how long will they take to get to that size. They'll be going in with a 3 Dwarf Gouramis, Neon & Lemon Tetras, Cherry Barbs, as well as Kuhlis, Ottos, Golden Algae Eaters and Amanos. My guess is the Gouramis are most likely to be the problem, but possibly also the Tetras and Barbs.

I've not hatched brine shrimp very often and not for a while. How far in advance of trying to hatch the Killis should I start to hatching the shrimp and how long will they survive in a fresh water tank ... assuming they don't get eaten?

[Carylnz]

A lot depends on the type of killie as some have larger fry than others. The fry will eat their egg sac first (about 3 days) so the brine shrimp need to be started the day the eggs hatch.
One would hope you could hatch all 20 but it depends on the quality of the eggs.
Most people keep a lot of the killie types in a species only tank, not a community. There are one or two that are ok in a community though.
They need to be at least neon size before you add them to the community.

[Idris]

I'm thinking of getting Aphyosemion Striatum. I get the impression they're ok in a community tank. Yes/no?

I've also seen mention of infusoria for fry. If I hatch them with mature tank water from my main (250L planted) tank, will that contain enough infusoria or do I need to think about another source?

[Carylnz]

A striatum can be kept in a community setup if you are careful what you have in there. They are a shy species and more vigorous fish will out-compete them for food. A striatum prefer temps in the low 20's so any other species need to be able to cope with these slightly cooler temps.
Eggs are incubated either in water or peat moss in a small container (margarine tubs are great for this). Peat moss is the preferred method and you ought to get a better hatching rate.
Their fry are tiny so infusoria is a good first food. If using peat moss the raising tank can be ‘seeded’ a few days prior to hatching by adding a couple of drops of liquifry or green water. Otherwise add small amounts as required. You don't need a huge amount as they move on to newly hatched brine shrimp nauplii or microworms after a couple of days. After 2 weeks you can then use larger foods.
Keep the water very shallow to start with then slowly raise it as the fry grow. It is also important to keep the water quality as good as possible as the fry are very prone to velvet disease. Extreme care must be taken regarding water quality in the raising tank as the fry are very susceptible to velvet disease.