TankBud

Green panchax

Aplocheilus blockii

Also known as Dwarf panchax, Green dwarf panchax, Block's panchax

FreshwaterFish

Green panchax (Aplocheilus blockii)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Top
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg depositor · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Aplocheilidae
Origin
Native to still and slow lowland waters, including rice paddies and coastal swamps, in southern India and Sri Lanka.

Overview

The green panchax is the smallest of the Asian panchax, a killifish that lives near the surface and is easy to keep.

Did you know

The green panchax hangs just under the surface with its upturned mouth ready to snatch insects that land on the water. Its larger relative, the golden wonder, hunts the same way.

Caring for the green panchax

Keep a small group of green panchax in a planted tank of 11 gal (40 L) or more. Add floating plants to break up the surface, keep the water calm and fit a tight lid.

Hold the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C), soft to neutral, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed floating and surface foods such as small live insects, mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp and flake.

The green panchax is peaceful toward fish it cannot swallow, but it eats tiny tank mates and shrimp fry. Match its companions to its size. Males are greenish with a scatter of iridescent and red spots. It spawns steadily on fine plants near the surface, and breeding it is moderately difficult.

Good to know

The green panchax is a non-annual, plant-spawning killifish in the family Aplocheilidae, often called the dwarf panchax. It is euryhaline, meaning it copes with fresh and slightly brackish water. In the wild it is a lurking predator of insects at the surface. Both sexes have the flat-topped head of a surface hunter.

In the wild

The green panchax is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, near the surface of still or slow lowland waters. Its homes include shallow ponds, ditches, rice fields, coastal swamps and mangrove edges.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The green panchax is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the top. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a green panchax need?

A green panchax needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the top.

What temperature and pH does a green panchax need?

A green panchax is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a green panchax eat?

A green panchax eats floating and surface foods, such as small live insects, mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp and flake. It will also eat tiny tank mates and shrimp fry.

How big does a green panchax get?

An adult green panchax reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How does a green panchax breed?

Green panchax spawn steadily on fine plants near the surface. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species