Black chin livebearer Girardinus metallicus

Viviparous or Live bearing fish - Mollies, Platties, Guppies
Post Reply
User avatar
Rabid Raisin
Member
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 14:05 pm

Saw these in a garden centre yesterday. I'd not heard of it before.

22-27'C
6.5-8 pH
8-20 dH

M 30-40mm
F 40-60mm

all details from Seriouslyfish.

Seemed active and prettier than the photos show.

I assume that is a female followed by 2x m in the 1st pic.

(A lot of garden centres in Devon/Cornwall have an aquatics section as we don't have the population for pukka fish shops).
135L 36"x15"x15" Currently Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha), Green Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon simulans), Otos (probably Otocinclus macrospilus).
User avatar
Gingerlove05
Forum Guru
Forum Guru
Posts: 6854
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2018 20:21 pm
Has liked: 5424 times
Been liked: 2667 times

They’re unusual, i dont think i’ve ever seen them.
To the tune of “the saints go marching in”:
Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful, they’re white Welsh and fluffy! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful!
Image
scoobiemandan
Senior Member
Posts: 255
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:35 am
Location: East Sussex
Has liked: 8 times
Been liked: 20 times

Interesting, never heard of them myself either!  Metallic Livebearer is their common name by all accounts.
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your kids.
Sonic
Newbie
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:36 am

I bought some of these from my local MA a year or so ago. Had them for about 8 months and they were breeding like guppys. Then for some reason I started to lose them and sooner or later they were all gone. Very pretty active fish with males constantly chasing the females.
User avatar
PJN
Posting Legend
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2018 19:15 pm
Location: Probably Looking at my Fish Tank
Has liked: 2 times
Been liked: 1 time

Oooh they're quite pretty!
User avatar
DoubleDutch
Posting Legend
Posts: 1038
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 14:13 pm
Has liked: 85 times
Been liked: 134 times

Nice!!!! Aren't those an endangered species in the wild ?

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G925F met Tapatalk
Send from the Low lands.
User avatar
Astevens4
Junior Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2018 22:02 pm

Rabid Raisin link wrote: Saw these in a garden centre yesterday. I'd not heard of it before.

22-27'C
6.5-8 pH
8-20 dH

M 30-40mm
F 40-60mm

all details from Seriouslyfish.

Seemed active and prettier than the photos show.

I assume that is a female followed by 2x m in the 1st pic.

(A lot of garden centres in Devon/Cornwall have an aquatics section as we don't have the population for pukka fish shops).
I know someone in Portsmouth was breeding and selling them. I'd really want a species specific tank if i was breeding those or i would have bought some!

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
Currently splitting my time between 8 tanks, between 600l and 40l - and occasionally the 4 kids, missus, job etc . . .

Big fan of sumps / refugariums and novelty oversized canister filters!
User avatar
plankton
Super Mod
Super Mod
Posts: 12204
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2018 17:02 pm
Location: S. Derbyshire
Has liked: 5030 times
Been liked: 3395 times

They are nice.
Part of the poecilia family and more closely related to to the Knife-edged livebearer.
I think you need very slow flow, slower than most livebearers, must be hard water, but ph doesn't matter (although it probably does for the ratio of males to females when the fry are dropped).
Varied, all-round diet.
They will interbreed with other peocilia.
I don't think they're on the "red list" at this time.
If at first you don't succeed....
...get someone else to do it! :D

Enjoy your fish, shrimps and snails!
Ian
Post Reply