TankBud

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
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer · Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Aplocheilidae
Origin
Endemic to the granitic Seychelles (Mahe, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue); introduced to Zanzibar

Overview

Playfair's panchax is a hardy killifish that swims near the surface of the tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Playfair's panchax gets its wide tolerance for pH and temperature from life on small islands. Its pools there swing through a range of conditions, and a hardy fish is the one that survives.

Caring for the Playfair's panchax

Give Playfair's panchax a planted tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more, with driftwood, rock caves and floating cover to break up sightlines. It holds near the surface and will launch straight out of an open tank, so a tight-fitting lid is essential.

Keep the water at 72 to 77°F (22 to 25°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. It is hardy, adapts to most reasonable conditions and needs no added salt. Feed flakes, pellets, and frozen or live foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Keep one fish, a pair, or best of all one male with several females, since males are territorial and quarrelsome with each other. It is mostly peaceful but an opportunistic predator, so skip small fish and shrimp as tank mates. It is an egg-scattering plant spawner that lays among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. It gives no parental care, and breeding it is easy.

Good to know

Playfair's panchax is a killifish in the family Aplocheilidae, also known as the golden panchax. In the wild it tolerates slightly brackish water.

In the wild

Playfair's panchax is endemic to the granitic Seychelles, where it lives in streams and slow pools on Mahe, Praslin, Silhouette and La Digue. It has also been introduced to Zanzibar. In those waters it is an accomplished jumper that snatches insects from the surface.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Playfair's 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 Playfair's panchax need?

A Playfair's panchax needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the top.

What temperature and pH does a Playfair's panchax need?

A Playfair's panchax is comfortable at 72–77°F (22–25°C) with a pH of 6.0–8.0.

What does a Playfair's panchax eat?

A Playfair's panchax eats flakes, pellets, and frozen or live foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp. As an opportunistic predator, it will also eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow.

How big does a Playfair's panchax get?

An adult Playfair's panchax reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

How does a Playfair's panchax breed?

Playfair's panchax is an egg-scattering plant spawner that lays among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. It gives the eggs no parental care, and breeding it is easy.

Related species