Playfair's panchax

Pachypanchax playfairii

Also known as Golden panchax

FreshwaterFish

Playfair's panchax (Pachypanchax playfairii) — G. H. Ford · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–77°F (22–25°C)
pH: 6.0–8.0
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Top
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Common
Origin: Endemic to the granitic Seychelles (Mahe, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue); introduced to Zanzibar
Family: Aplocheilidae

Overview

Keep it singly, as a pair, or best as one male with several females in a tank of 75 liters or larger, since males are territorial and quarrelsome with each other. It is a top swimmer that holds near the surface, so a tight-fitting lid is essential because it jumps. Water should sit between 22 and 25 C with a pH from 6 to 8. It is mostly peaceful but an opportunistic predator that will eat anything small enough to swallow, so skip small fish and shrimp as tankmates. Feed it flakes, pellets, and frozen or live foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp.

In the wild

Playfair's panchax is endemic to the granitic Seychelles, where it lives in streams and slow pools across Mahe, Praslin, Silhouette, and La Digue, and it has been introduced to Zanzibar. It does well across a wide range, so give it a planted tank of at least 75 liters with driftwood, rock caves, and floating cover to break up sightlines. Keep the water from 22 to 25 C and a pH anywhere from 6 to 8, since it is hardy and adapts to most reasonable conditions.

Good to know

This is a killifish in the family Aplocheilidae, reaching about 10 cm as an adult. It is an egg-scattering plant spawner that lays among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops with no parental care. In the wild it tolerates slightly brackish water, but in the aquarium no added salt is needed.

Did you know

It is an accomplished jumper that uses the surface to snatch insects in the wild, and it will launch straight out of an open tank to do the same. The wide pH and temperature tolerance comes from life on small islands, where its pools swing through a range of conditions and a hardy fish is the one that survives.