Magic Fish community

If you need help, want to share your success story and/or provide and discuss useful information with other Magic Fish enthusiasts, please visit our forum (no registration required).

Before asking questions in the forum or contacting our support personnel please read the Frequently Asked Question and the Illnesses and Treatments sections below.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What are the suitable temperatures for keeping Magic Fish?
Is Magic Fish real? Will it grow up to adult fish?

Yes, it is real and will grow up to adult fish.
Is Magic Fish from fresh water or salt water?

It is a kind of tropical fresh water fish.
What is its scientific name?

It is commonly called Killifish. Its scientific name is Nothobranchius korthausae. It originates from South Africa & South America regions and is a type of rare and high-grade ornamental fish.
How many types of Magic Fish do you have?

We can re-produce 6 types of Magic Fish at present. However, we do intent to introduce more Magic Fishes in the near future.
How to tell the male fish from the female fish?

The color of the male fish is vivid while the female fish is plain.
Can the Magic Fishes reproduce?

Yes. However, it depends on the temperature, environment and how you breed them.
Can we eat this type of fish?

No, it is not for consumption. It is only a type of ornamental fish.
Will the fishes fight one another?

The male fish will fight if its living space is not large enough. The best proportion is 1 liter of water to 1 fish. You may also put in some veil in your tank like float grass to prevent fights.
Do the baby fishes look the same even if their species are different?

Yes. They look almost the same as when new born.
Can we keep adult fish and baby fish together?

If there’s big difference in size between the fishes, adult fish will bite or even eat baby fish when it is hungry.
Can we keep adult Magic Fish along with other ornamental fishes?

You can do this so long as there’s no huge difference in size.
What is the black material in the fish bag? Will it deteriorate?

The black material in the fish bag is called coco substrate. It is the carrier of Magic Fish embryos and has been sterilized. It is safe and is a type of culture medium for flowers and grass. It won’t deteriorate.
How many species of Magic Fish in one bag?

Currently, there’s only one species per bag. But we can put different species in one bag according to your requirement.

Magic Fish Food (Brine Shrimp) Hatching

How to hatch brine shrimp?

You should put in just one flat spoon (one gram) of salt into the little plastic vessel provided in the package. Please note that brine shrimp can only be hatched by salt water and the hatching takes 24-72 hours.
How long can the brine shrimp provided last?

The appetite of baby fish is small, so you just need to hatch a small ‘pinch’ of brine shrimp each time. The brine shrimp supplied is enough for baby fish to grow up to approximately 2 cm long. When the fish reaches this size, you can start using other fish food to feed it, for example frozen petrified worms or brine shrimp. Just do not feed it with dry commercial fish pellets.
How long can brine shrimp live? Will it grow up?

Brine shrimp can live for 2 or 3 days. It will also grow up if you feed it with flour. However, you don’t need to breed brine shrimp as what we supply is enough for baby fish grows up to 2 cm long.

Magic Fish Hatching

How long does it take for Magic Fish to swim out and grow up? How long will it live?

It usually takes about 1-24 hours for the first batch of Magic Fish to swim out of the fish bag. Depending on the level of maturity of the fish embryos, the shortest time may be only half an hour. The fish can live for at least two years if you take good care of them. The size of the adult fish varies from 4 cm-6 cm depending on the type of species.
Will all 10 fishes swim out at one time after we put the fish bag into the water?

We can guarantee you a minimum of 6 fishes, but they won’t swim out all at once. They normally swim out in small batches and you need to repeat the hatching process 3 or up to 4 times.
Is it possible that few or even no fish will be hatched the first time the fish bag is put into the water?

Yes. This is because it is possible that the bag originally contains few or no mature fish eggs. Or the water quality or the temperature doesn't meet the standard mentioned in the instruction manual.
Why do Magic Fish swim out of fish bag batch by batch?

We have both matured and immature fish embryos within the fish bag. Matured fish embryos will turn into baby fish shortly after it is put into the water; immature fish embryos will become mature when it is returned into the fish bag.
If the fish hatch before the brine shrimp, will it starve?

No. Magic Fish can live for 2 days without eating anything after they hatch, because there are nutrients in the fish egg.
Should we just leave the fish bag in the water for 10-15 days and let the fish swim out batch by batch?

No. You should keep fish bag in a moist environment but not totally wet. So you should always put this back into the reseal-able plastic bag provided and seal it tightly each time.

Caring for Magic Fish

How often should we feed baby fish?

The baby fish is very smart and it won’t die from eating too much. You can feed it only once a day. Baby fish won’t eat any more if it is full. It is OK if there are some brine shrimp left in the breeding vessel.
Should we pump oxygen into the water?

Not necessary. You can keep tap water for one day or under the sun for about 2 hours before usage. What you should do is change the water frequently to keep the water clean and there’ll be ample oxygen. Please note each time you only change about one third of the water. Otherwise, the fish might not adapt to the totally new environment.
What is the best temperature for Magic Fish?

The temperature range for storing the fish eggs is 15-35 °C. The temperature range for hatching is 18-30 °C. The best temperature is 24-26 °C. Please do take note that the temperature we refer to is the water temperature, not your room temperature.
What does baby fish eat?

The food for baby fish is brine shrimp. You may feed them with other fish food such as frozen petrified worms only when it grows up.
What to do when we run out of the brine shrimp?

You can purchase this from us or your local aquarium store.

Illness and Treatment of magic fish

Fish might be ill during its growing process. Some might be not serious and you can cure it in time and save its life. Please refer to the following information; it might help your fish be healthier.

Symptoms of illness: Your new fish have died - there are no obvious signs of illness
It could be: New Tank Syndrome
Treatment: Adding fish to a brand new aquarium stresses the fish, and sometimes it can be fatal.

Symptoms of illness: Loss of appetite
It could be: An environmental problem, newly-introduced fish can be slow to feed (stress), certain fishes will refuse anything but live foods.
Treatment: Environmental: inspect for any manifestations of disease, and get basic water tester (Ammonia etc). The same with stress. Be patient with them. Look for other signs of disease.

Symptoms of illness: Cotton Wool effect on the body
It could be: Fungus, Columnarius (Mouth fungus)
Treatment: If you see this disease, you can use medication (i.e. "Anti Fungus") and a Salt bath (1 teaspoon per gallon).

Symptoms of illness: Small, white spots on the head， body and fins.
It could be: White spot (Ichthyophthirius)
Treatment: A very common disease (especially in a new aquarium). There are several formulas around, dose the fish quickly before the parasite spreads. Salt could be used (1 teaspoon per gallon).

Symptoms of illness: Fraying of the soft tissue (fin membrane)
It could be: Fin Rot, the disintegration of the fins.
Treatment: Use medication before a secondary infection occurs, it will take several days before there is serious fin damage. Could use salt bath (1 teaspoon per gallon).

Symptoms of illness: Appearance of a whitish film over the eye of the fish
It could be: Poor water quality, poisoning (Chlorine) or Eye Fluke
Treatment: Poor water: Water changes are required. Poisoning: Make sure to condition tap water. Eye Fluke: Use medication.

Symptoms of illness: Fish are gasping, on the bottom of the aquarium, red streaks around gills.
It could be: Most probably oxygen starvation, or a Gill disease.
Treatment: You have too many fish, an air pump may help. Gill diseases are quite rare, you could actually see the gills rot away: use medication.

Symptoms of illness: Worms are visibly seen hanging from the gills, fish are gasping.
It could be: Gill Worm (Dactylogyrus)
Treatment: This is another parasite. Use anti-parasite drugs as directed.

Symptoms of illness: Red dining of the skin, or red streaks in the fins.
It could be: Virus, Ulcers (Bacterial infection)
Treatment: Viruses can only be seen through microscopes - and its incurable. With a bacterial disease, use a anti-bacteria or anti-internal treatment. A prolonged SALT bath (3-5 g/litre for several days) will alliviate osmoregulatory stress in the case of severe ulceration.

Symptoms of illness: Scales seem to be raised, fish are bloated.
It could be: Dropsy (Ascites)
Treatment: Dropsy is more of a symptom than an actually disease yet, and is quite common. Most associated with a bacterial infection (cause could be wide - poor water conditions are often the culprit. Meds can be used, but don’t always work.

Symptoms of illness: Small, worm like parasites attached to fish, fish scraping against rocks.
It could be: Anchor worm (lernea).
Treatment: There are many Crustacean Parasites around, and can be exported into your water. Meds are available.

Symptoms of illness: Dull colour (mucus), detached skin, fraying of the fin.
It could be: Mucus Hyperproduction
Treatment: This is caused by Slime disease (parasite, meds available), poor water conditioners (high Nitrogenous wastes), fukes, stress.