From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Blue Panchax
Aplocheilus panchax
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 75 L
- Lifespan
- 3-4 years
- Diet
- carnivore
- Care level
- easy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Aplocheilus panchax |
| Family: | Aplocheilidae |
| Origin: | South/Southeast Asia (a wide range of still and slow waters) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | easy |
| Diet: | carnivore |
| Max Size: | 9.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | semi aggressive |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | Considerable natural variation and few cultivated strains. The species has an enormous range — from Pakistan and India through Malaysia to Indonesia, including populations in two hot springs in Singapore — and colour varies between populations, with blue, yellow and red fin edging appearing in different forms. Some are traded under locality names. Selected lines with stronger blue are offered occasionally, and there is nothing established as a named strain in the way the golden wonder is. Which is the point worth making: the golden wonder killifish is an aquarium colour variant of a different species in the same genus, Aplocheilus lineatus. The two are closely related, similar in habits, and frequently confused — the golden wonder is larger and yellow, this fish smaller and blue-grey with the white head spot. Other Aplocheilus reach the trade, including A. dayi and A. blockii, all of them non-annual surface killifish. None of them should be confused with Nothobranchius, Austrolebias or Fundulopanchax — the true annual killifish, which are a different proposition entirely. |
| Lifespan: | 3-4 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low
- Min Tank:75 L
- Substrate:Dark substrate; floating plants and a tight lid
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low to moderate (gentle flow)
Blue Panchax (Aplocheilus panchax) is a species of fish in the family Aplocheilidae. It is native to South/Southeast Asia (a wide range of still and slow waters). The blue panchax is the small, widely distributed cousin of the golden wonder, and it is the killifish most people could keep without knowing it. It is native to southern Asia, from Pakistan and India through Malaysia to Indonesia, living in rivers, estuaries and — remarkably — two hot springs in Singapore. It reaches 9 cm. It hangs at the surface, motionless, watching. That is hunting posture: it controls mosquito populations by feeding on their larvae, which is the basis of its use in mosquito control across its range. The identifying feature is a white spot on top of the head, visible from above. Like the golden wonder it is a non-annual Aplocheilus — a surface-spawning killifish from permanent water, whose eggs hatch in water without any dry diapause. It is not one of the seasonal killifish the family's reputation rests on.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- semi aggressive
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- top
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Blue Panchax
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