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Maximum size : 5 cm
Red Chinned Panchax - Epiplatys dageti : Complete Fish Profile & Care Guide
Table of contents
Introduction
The Red-chinned Panchax is a peaceful, relatively hardy and active attractive fish that are perfect for a nano or well-planted aquarium. These Killifish make great additions to a peaceful community tank. However, mature males are somewhat territorial and very assertive towards females; therefore, it would be best to keep one male to two or three females; that way, they will not exhaust the females. The Red-chinned Panchax can be kept in either a species-only aquarium or an aquarium with other similarly sized peaceful species. These can include smaller Barbs, Rasboras, Tetras, Dwarf Gouramis and Dwarf Cichlids, as well as Corydoras and smaller Plecos. However, it would be better if you did not house these fish with much larger, aggressive or boisterous species; otherwise, they will easily outcompete them for food. These Killifish are quite sociable, so it would be best to keep them in a group of at least six individuals. Keeping these Killis in larger numbers will decrease shyness and allow these fish to display more interesting behaviours. Red-chinned Panchax will appreciate an aquarium with plenty of areas to hide amongst, making them feel more comfortable. You can use driftwood or hardy plants to achieve this. Adding some dried leaf litter to soften and darken the water will also be beneficial and will also emphasise this fish's natural environment. The Red-chinned Panchax has a light to dark brown back with lighter brown sides that possess a greeny-violet iridescence. These fish also have a yellowish-brown underside and a bright red lower jaw, with a dense black bar running right above the chin and through the eye. This Killifish also has five striking black transverse stripes that run vertically on their body; four are found on the back half of their body, while the final is located near the base of their pectoral fin. In addition, these Killifish have gorgeous spotted yellow fins with black borders, although some variants have white edges on their dorsal and caudal fins.Red Chinned Panchax Photos
Sexual Dimorphism
It is simple to differentiate between the male and female Red-chinned Panchax. The females are slightly smaller and have duller colouration than the male. In addition, the male's anal fin is more pointy than the female's, and their lower caudal fin develops extended rays as they mature. Quick Facts
| Scientific Name | Epiplatys dageti |
|---|---|
| Year Described | 1953 |
| Other Names | Redchin panchax, Black Lipped Panchax, Orange Throated Panchax, Firemouth killifish |
| Classification | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family | Nothobranchiidae |
| Genus | Epiplatys |
| Origins | Sierra Leone Liberia Ghana |
| Max Size | 5 cm |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Middle - Top |
| Difficulty | Beginner - Intermediate |
| Shoaling | No |
| Best kept as | Groups 6+ |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 3 - 5 years |
Water Parameters
| Water Type | Freshwater/Brackish |
|---|---|
| PH | 6.0 - 7.0 |
| GH | 5 - 12 |
| KH | |
| TDS | 18 - 215 |
| ℉ | 70 - 79 |
|---|---|
| ℃ | 21.1 - 26.1 |
Natural habitat
You can find the Red-chinned Panchax in Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Ghana in western Africa. These fish inhabit slow-flowing shallow waters in swampy coastal areas, small creeks, and streams. These habitats are rich in vegetation, with water Lillies being the dominant plant species. Most of these fish's habitats are freshwater, although you can also find them in brackish water in some areas.How to breed the Red Chinned Panchax
It is relatively easy to breed Gabon Killifish. You can quickly spawn a pair in an aquarium; however, it is recommended that you breed them in trios, although the yield tends to be lower when it's bred this way, probably because the fish that are not spawning are consuming some of the eggs. Many breeders do not use filtration in killifish breeding setups, but using a small, air-powered sponge filter to avoid stagnation is a good idea. Water should be slightly acidic with a somewhat higher temperature and dimly lit. It would be best if you conditioned your fish on a varied diet of live and frozen foods and separated the two sexes in separate tanks. Choose the fattest female and the most colourful male before placing them in the spawning tank. This method will allow females to recover between spawnings. Spawning will occur near the water's surface, and the females will lay one egg at a time on the spawning mops or vegetation by a sticky thread. Females can produce 20 to 50 eggs daily, which will continue over a couple of weeks. The adults do not prey on the eggs if well-fed, so they can be left in the breeding tank until you want to remove them. However, if you wish to move the eggs to another raising tank, they are firm and can be hand-picked off the mops and plants. It is probably more practical to separate the eggs; if you wish, you can add methylene blue into the raising tank to prevent your eggs from getting fungus. If any eggs start to fungus, you should remove them as soon as possible with a pipette to prevent it from spreading to other eggs. Spawning should exhibit no specific problems if water conditions are right and the fish are well-conditioned. The eggs can be left in the aquarium to hatch with their parents; however, some may get eaten. Between ten and twenty eggs are usually deposited daily for around two weeks, and you should remove these carefully as soon as you notice them if you want to increase the yield of the fry. It would be best if you only allowed breeding pairs to spawn for about a week or so before returning them to the conditioning tank, as the spawning process is challenging on the fish, especially the female. Once removed, you can incubate the eggs either by placing them on a damp layer of peat moss in a small container or leave them in the water. Fewer eggs tend to be fungus if you keep them in the water, although you should still remove these fungus eggs as they are noticed. You can transfer the eggs to a small aquarium or a container containing water from the spawning tank if incubating in water. Adding a couple of drops of methylene blue to the container is advisable as this helps to keep the eggs in good condition. It would be best if you kept the aquarium or container in darkness as the eggs are susceptible to light, and you will need to check the eggs daily for fungus eggs, which you should remove with a pipette. The eggs will hatch in around 12 days, depending on the temperature. If you decide to incubate on peat moss, make sure you put the container in a dark warm place and leave it for around 18 days, after which the eggs will be ready to hatch. Hatching can usually be induced by simply placing the eggs in the raising aquarium after 18 days, where the wetting of the eggs stimulates hatching. If this is unsuccessful, blowing gently into the water through a piece of airline or straw can trigger hatching.Diet & feeding
The Red-chinned Panchax can be a little fussy about which foods they will accept. However, most will take high-quality dried foods such as flakes or small granules. However, for the best colours and conditions, you should supplement this with small live, frozen and freeze-dried foods like bloodworm, mosquito larvae, grindal worms, black worms, brine shrimp and daphnia. However, it would be better if you did not overfeed them, and you should not feed them live and frozen food solely because they are very rich foods.Other Killifish you maybe interested in
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