All fish / Aplocheilidae

Playfair's panchax

Pachypanchax playfairii

Also known as playfair's killifish, playfairs panchax, playfair panchax, golden panchax

A sturdy, pike-shaped killifish with a broad flat head and a yellowish to olive-green body, the male covered in rows of red dots and showing a dark-edged tail. It is kept for its hardiness, bold colour and lively surface-hunting behaviour, and it copes with a wide range of water conditions, including slightly brackish water.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.8

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen insect larvae, brine shrimp, small crustaceans, plus quality flakes and pellets

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Seychelles; introduced to Madagascar, Zanzibar and coastal East Africa

Breeding

A non-annual egg scatterer that lays eggs a few at a time among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops over several days. Eggs hatch in around 10 to 14 days and the fry take newly hatched brine shrimp; breeding is easy, but adults will eat eggs and young unless they are moved.

Good to know

Males fight each other and the species will eat any fish small enough to swallow, so keep it with robust tankmates of similar size. It jumps readily, so a tight-fitting lid is essential. When breeding, the scales on the male's back may stand out slightly, which is normal and not dropsy.