Redspotted panchax

Care at a glance

Overview

The redspotted panchax is a showy surface killifish kept as a pair or a small harem near the top of the tank. It is shy, so give it a heavily planted, shaded tank with floating cover and a tight lid against jumping. It is mostly peaceful with larger fish, but small tankmates can be eaten, so pair it with calm fish of similar or larger size and avoid tiny surface fish. Feed live and frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, wingless fruit flies, and bloodworm. A pair or group is comfortable in a tank of about 54 liters, and dim, cool, settled conditions keep the red spotting at its best.

In the wild

The redspotted panchax lives in shaded forest brooks of the Upper Guinea highlands in southeastern Guinea and northern Liberia, cool, soft, dimly lit waters under dense cover. Recreate that with floating plants, a dark base, roots, and gentle flow. Keep the water soft and close to neutral, about pH 5.5–7.0, and genuinely cool at 20–25 C, since this is a highland fish that dislikes being kept too warm.

Good to know

Epiplatys lamottei is a non-annual member of the family Nothobranchiidae reaching about 7 cm, the male lavender toned and scattered with rows of red spots. As a plant spawner it lays eggs on mops or fine vegetation that develop in water, keeping breeding at a moderate level. The species honours the French zoologist Maxime Lamotte, and it is sometimes treated as a form of Epiplatys fasciolatus.

Did you know

It is named after Maxime Lamotte, the French zoologist who led the landmark biological survey of Mount Nimba, the highland on the Guinea and Liberia border famous for oddities like its live-bearing toad.

Tank mates

Redspotted panchax is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the top. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• Pridi loach

  Schistura pridii

  Freshwater

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Delta killifish

  Fundulopanchax deltaensis

  Freshwater

  3.1 in (8 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Chiangmai stream goby

  Rhinogobius chiengmaiensis

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
• Dwarf spineless eel

  Garo khajuriai

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Fallax killifish

  Fundulopanchax fallax

  Freshwater

  3.5 in (9 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Mandarin rhinogobius

  Rhinogobius brunneus

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• Guinean panchax

  Epiplatys guineensis

  Freshwater

  2.8 in (7 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Infrafasciatus killifish

  Epiplatys infrafasciatus

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
• Singa panchax

  Epiplatys singa

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Six-barred panchax

  Epiplatys sexfasciatus

  Freshwater

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

• 

  Red-chinned panchax

  Epiplatys dageti

  Freshwater

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)70–75°F (21–24°C)
• Dubois' panchax

  Epiplatys duboisi

  Freshwater

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)