Fish
Striped Panchax
Aplocheilus lineatus
Origin: The striped panchax is found in southern India and Sri Lanka, where it inhabits streams, rice fields, ponds, and canals. It keeps near the surface, from which it hunts insects and small fish.
Also known as: Golden wonder killifish, Aplocheilus lineatus
Fact sheet
- Size
- 10 cm
- Lifespan
- 4 years
- Minimum tank size
- 100 L
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6–7.5
- Hardness GH
- 5–20 °dH
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Social behavior
- In pairs
- Swimming zone
- Top
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Jumps out
- Yes
- Eats plants
- No
Overview
The striped panchax is a surface-dwelling predatory killifish with an elongated body and a flattened head, resembling a miniature pike. The popular selective 'golden wonder' form with bright golden-green colour is well known. It is an active ambush predator of the upper layers: it hangs motionless at the surface and snatches prey in a flash. It is hardy and undemanding, but it treats small fish and fry as food. An excellent jumper, so the tank is kept covered. Keep singly, as a pair, or in a small group.
Appearance
The body is elongated and cylindrical, with a flat-topped head and an upturned mouth, up to 10 cm long. Colour is greenish-silver with rows of glittering scales; the golden form is bright golden-green. The tail often has dark or reddish markings. Males are larger and brighter, with pointed unpaired fins.
Care
A tank of at least 100 L with a large surface area, floating plants, and absolutely a tight lid as the fish jumps. Temperature 22–28 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, hardness GH 5–20. A calm surface, cover near the surface, and clean water are needed.
Feeding
A predator feeding at the surface. It takes live and frozen foods — insects, fruit flies, bloodworm, large daphnia — plus sinking and floating carnivore pellets. It can be trained onto dry food. Feed once or twice daily.
Compatibility
A predator toward small fish: it eats guppies, neons, and fry. It gets along with similarly sized and larger calm fish of the mid- and lower layers. Avoid surface-sharing tankmates. Keep singly, as a pair, or in a group in a spacious tank.
Breeding
An egg-laying killifish. The female lays eggs on fine-leaved plants or spawning mops over several days. The eggs are moved to a rearing tank; fry hatch in 12–14 days and take brine shrimp nauplii at once.
Fun facts
The golden form ('golden wonder') is one of the most popular killifish. The fish hangs motionless at the surface for long periods, lying in wait for prey. Thanks to its upturned mouth it catches insects that fall onto the water.