Water Colors Aquarium Gallery

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the Water Colors team talks about Mexico and some of their favorite species endemic to the North American continent. With such an interesting evolutionary history, it is no suprise that Mexico is home to many beautiful, unique fish and plants. Whether you are a cichlid or swordtail lover, Mexico has a fish for everyone.



Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/

Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/

Join our growing community on Discord! https://go.watercolors.shop/discord



Sources mentioned in this episode:

Missouri Aquarium Society (MASI) – https://missouriaquariumsociety.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22863986520&gbraid=0AAAABArITQG8EzReaXm3iOuAaL_zcLsyW&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4Y3lkIeolAMVMlN_AB19xgtwEAAYASAAEgLwk_D_BwE

Andrej Spec

Bluegrass Bash – https://bluegrassfishkeepers.com/bluegrass-bash

Species mentioned in this episode:

Xiphophorus pygmaeus

Xiphophorus alvarezi

Xiphophorus montezumae

Herichthys labridens

Vieja

Xiphophorus couchianus

Xiphophorus evelynae

Herichthys cyanoguttatus

Herichthys carpintis

Ataeniobius toweri

Xiphophorus milleri

Xiphophorus birchmanni

Hydrocotyle verticillata

Poecilia velifera

Cyprinodon longidorsalis

Thorichthys helleri

Astyanax mexicanus

Potamogeton illinoensis

Mayaheros urophthalmus

Amy, Ben and Calder come together after a fantastic time at KilliKarnival 2026. They had a blast at the live talk and so much fun meeting fellow listeners and fish enthusiasts alike. This week’s episode breaks down their time in South Bend, Indiana. They talk about the amazing fish they saw, what it’s like to help judge competitions, things they still see in the hobby that make them sad, and our upcoming projects, both personal and store-related. Special thanks to all of the people who made this weekend happen and we hope to see you there next year!



Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/

Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/

Join our growing community on Discord! https://go.watercolors.shop/discord



Sources mentioned in this episode:

KilliKarnival – https://mas.fish/society-events/killifish-karnival/

David Hemmerlein

Species mentioned in this episode:

Aphyosemion australe

Aphyosemion bivittatum

Aphyosemion splendopleure (Tiko Green)

Aphyosemion striatum

Aphyosemion bitaeniatum

Aphyosemion pyrophore

Aphyosemion joergenscheeli

Aphyosemion coeleste

Aphyosemion citrineipinnis

Aphyosemion elberti

Aphyosemion dargei

Nothobranchius rachovii

Nothobranchius rubripinnis

Nothobranchius polli

Nothobranchius korthausae

Fundulopanchax gardeneri rayfield

Fundulopanchax gardeneri masangi

Epiplatys annulatus

Scriptaphyosemion banforense

Scriptaphyosemion guignardi

Chromaphyosemion riggenbachi

Lamprichthys tanganicanus

Lucania goodei

Aphanius dispar

Aphanius fasciatus

Paraphanius mento

Mesonauta festivus

Mesonauta egregius

Heros severus

Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

Chitala ornata

Rivulus mejial (Colombia)

Cupanichthys cubensis

Cupanichthys pengelleyi

Amatolebias patriciae

As Killifish Month comes to a close, the team wraps up loose ends and reiterates some important points. The topics include; what it takes to survive as a male, male vs. female hatching ratios, seperating breeding pairs, the various methods of raising healthy fry, raising live foods, and unofficial ways to catergorize killifish. If you are a true fan and have a strong stomach, stick around for the bonus content at the end of this episode. See you at KilliKarnival 2026!



Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/

Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/

Join our growing community on Discord! https://go.watercolors.shop/discord



Sources mentioned in this episode:

KilliKarnival – https://mas.fish/society-events/killifish-karnival/

Species mentioned in this episode:

Fundulopanchax gardneri

Nothobranchius guentheri

Xiphophorus hellerii

Scriptaphyosemion etzeli

Scriptaphyosemion guignardi

Aphyosemion elberti

Aphyosemion citrineipinnis

Diapteron

In this episode, the Water Colors Team gather around the table to talk about “switch hitting” killifish. In other words, killifish that can mop spawn and substrate spawn. They discuss different spawning methods, practices they use at home in their own breeding projects, and why these fish have developed this advantagous adaptation. Come listen to how incubations times differ depending on the method, and decide which method you are going to use next.



Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/

Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/

Join our growing community on Discord! https://go.watercolors.shop/discord



Sources mentioned in this episode:

Alex Rose and Coral Magazine – https://www.coralmagazine.com/

Species mentioned in this episode:

Fundulopanchax sjoestedti – Blue Gularis

Kryptolebias marmoratus

Epiplatys dageti

Epiplatys monroviae

Fundulopanchax garderneri

Aphyosemion splendidum

Aphyosemion australe

The team dives into much more than just South American Killifish this episode. They discuss the Lacey Act and the native fish of Brazil, sustainable collection like Project Piaba, killifish diapause and dirt spawning methods. Join us at the KilliKarnival on April. 25th, 2026. We appreciate your patience with the delay of last week’s podcast. Our regular publishing schedule will begin again as usual on 4/17/2026.



Sources mentioned in this episode:

KilliKarnival – https://mas.fish/society-events/killifish-karnival/

Brief Summary of Lacey Act – https://www.animallaw.info/article/brief-summary-lacey-act

Project Piaba – https://projectpiaba.org/

British Killifish Association – https://killis.org.uk/

American Killifish Association – https://aka.org/

It Rains Fish – https://www.itrainsfishes.net/content/



Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/

Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/

Join our growing community on Discord! https://go.watercolors.shop/discord



Species mentioned in this episode:

Brazilian genre:

Simpsonichthys, Nematolebias, Leptopanchax, Campellolebias, Mucurilebias

Available hobby alternative for Simpsonichthys is Spectrolebias

Brazilian species:

Cynolebias microphthalmus

Hypsolebias magnificus

Xenurolebias tupinikin

Argolebias nigripinnis

Main South American Annual Genre:

Austrolebias, Stenolebias, Pterolebias, Notholebias, Moema, Rachovia, Simpsonichthys

Other:

Titanolebias

Gnatholebias

Neofundulus

Pterolebias longipinnis

Spectrolebias chacoensis

Simpsonichthys filamentosus

Aphanius mento