Pseudepiplatys annulatus
| Common Names: | Clown Killifish Clown Panchax Rocket Killifish Rocket Panchax |
| Synonyms: | Aplocheilus annulatus Epiplatys annulatus Haplochilus annulatus Panchax annulatus |
| Family: | Aplocheilidae |
| Category: | OthersFW |
| Distribution: | Africa; Primarily found in Guinea and Liberia |
| Main Ecosystem: | Swamp; Shallow coastal areas and river basins |
| Temperament: | Timid; Not to be maintained with boisterous or predatory fishes |
| Diet: | Ominvore; Willing to eat anything small, but prefers insects and tiny aquatic life when available |
| Care: | This is not one of the traditional "beginner's" killifish for breeding attempts, but is well worth the extra effort, and is much better classified as an intermediate. As with most of the common killis, it can be maintained in quite a small tank. However, as a group fish (unlike many other species, annulatus males will merely display and will not spar), it is best kept in a tank of five gallons or larger with several individuals. A ten gallon, heavily planted, will maintain a group and their yo |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 4cm (1.6") Female: 4cm (1.6") |
| Water Region: | Surface; Although they will use the top half of the aquarium and occasionally even the bottom, they are as top-dwelling a fish as exists |
| Activity: | NonSpecific; Fairly quiet and reseved both day and night; no obvious sleep patterns |
| Gender: | Sexing annulatus is not the easiest of tasks at a young age. At about 1/2" the juvenile males begin to develop the lovely tail colors; females will still have clear tails or at best pale colors. This is the safest way to sex them, although adults are unmistakeable: males have big, bright tails, trailing finnage, and are larger. Females have some color but are mainly beige and brown with attractive barring but much paler flash in the tail. |
| Breeding: | The traditional methods for spawning egg-scattering killis wirk well for annulatus. Either move the breeding adults, in a group (annulatus is a group spawner) to a tank full of java moss and remove them after a few hours and raise the fry in that tank with insuforia, newly hatched brine shrimp, and other live foods, or keep the group in a larger, heavily planted tank and allow the fry to grow up, albeit in smaller numbers, with the parents. Annulatus will rarerly eat fry, although half-grown fis |
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| Comments: | Although this fish can make a lovely addition to a quiet community of very small, peaceful fishes - pencilfish, the smallest tetras, rasboras, and so on - it is recommended that the group be kept alone and allowed to breed for at least a few months. Numbers are dwindling in the wild and although still fairly popular among killi fanciers, this has never been a very populous fish in captivity. Raising a few fry and distributing them is the best way to ensure the species will still be available in |
| Main Colours: | Brown, Yellow, Red |
| Markings: | Striped Vertical |
| Mouth: | Upturned |
| Tail: | Convex |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | ;LittleMousling |
| Submitted By: | littlemousling |
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