All fish / Aplocheilidae

Sakaramy Panchax

Pachypanchax sakaramyi

Also known as sakaramy killifish, sakaramyi panchax, madagascar panchax, pachypanchax sakaramy

A stocky, surface-dwelling killifish from northern Madagascar with a brownish body covered in rows of red dots and fins edged in red or yellow. Keepers value it as a hardy, long-lived non-annual killifish and as a rare endemic species maintained mainly by killifish enthusiasts.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

20 to 26 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

One male with two or three females, or a small group in a larger tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen insect larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp, small flies, plus quality flake or pellets

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Northern Madagascar (Sakaramy River area, Montagne d'Ambre)

Breeding

A non-annual egg scatterer that lays eggs a few at a time over several days among fine plants or spawning mops. Eggs hatch in about two weeks and the fry take newly hatched brine shrimp, so breeding is fairly straightforward if eggs are removed from the parents.

Good to know

Males can be quarrelsome with each other and the species will eat very small fish and fry, and it jumps readily so a tight lid is essential. It is threatened in the wild, so captive-bred stock is preferable.