Red-chinned panchax

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a tight lid on the tank, because these fish jump and will find any gap. Keep them in a group of six with two or three females per male, since males squabble harmlessly over space, in a tank of 75 liters or larger. They are mostly peaceful and hold to the top of the water column, hovering just under the surface. Water should run cool, around 21 to 24 C, soft, and slightly acidic at a pH of 6 to 7. Feed small floating foods, frozen daphnia, and live treats, and avoid very small tankmates, since this is a tiny surface predator that eats fry and dwarf shrimp.

In the wild

Red-chinned panchax come from soft, slightly acidic waters along coastal West Africa, across Ghana, Cote d Ivoire, and Liberia. These are dim, sheltered pools and slow streams shaded by overhanging plants and leaf litter. To match that, give them a well-planted tank of at least 75 liters with floating cover up top, leaf litter on the bottom, and low light. Keep the water on the cool side, roughly 21 to 24 C, with a pH from 6 to 7.

Good to know

This is a killifish in the family Nothobranchiidae, staying small at around 4.5 cm. It is an egg layer that breeds readily, scattering eggs among fine-leaved plants and spawning mops. Unlike the annual killifish, it is not short-lived, and a healthy adult can live a few years. Most fish in the trade are tank-bred.

Did you know

The common name comes from the male, who carries a bright red throat and chin that he flashes during display and sparring. The color sits low on the head where you see it best from the front, so a top-down view from above the tank shows it off far better than looking through the glass.

Related species

• 

  Six-barred panchax

  Epiplatys sexfasciatus

  3.9 in (10 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Clown Killifish

  Epiplatys annulatus

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)15 gal (55 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Eggers' notho

  Nothobranchius eggersi

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Mafia killifish

  Nothobranchius korthausae

  2 in (5 cm)10 gal (38 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Ogowe killifish

  Aphyosemion ogoense

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)64–73°F (18–23°C)

• 

  Patrizi's notho

  Nothobranchius patrizii

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)