Dwarf Panchax Breeding Guide

How to breed Aplocheilus blockii, the smallest Aplocheilus, a surface killifish that lays eggs in mops or fine plants, hatching in about 10-15 days.

Overview

Aplocheilus blockii is the smallest member of the genus Aplocheilus (family Aplocheilidae), a surface killifish distributed across Sri Lanka and southern India. AquaInfo gives an adult size of about 5 cm and a captive lifespan of three to five years, and recommends keeping it as pairs or one male with several females.

Sexing

AquaInfo describes males as iridescent yellow-green to golden yellow with reddish to golden shiny dots, while females show a dirty yellow to greenish ground colour with a dark longitudinal band and narrow transverse stripes on the caudal peduncle.

Conditioning

AquaInfo recommends a varied diet of live foods such as mosquito larvae, aquatic woodlice, Artemia, Daphnia and chironomid larvae for conditioning. The species is carnivorous and accepts dried food but requires regular live or frozen offerings.

Breeding Setup

AquaInfo notes the fish deposit eggs in woolly spawning mops, fine-leaved plants, mosses such as Java moss or filamentous algae. AquaInfo gives a breeding temperature of 24-27 C, with about 28 C stimulating reproduction, moderately hard and alkaline water and pH in the 6.0-8.0 range.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Eggs are laid among the mops or plants and have a firm shell, so AquaInfo notes they can be removed after laying to a rearing aquarium, away from the adults.

Egg & Fry Care

AquaInfo reports an incubation period of about 10-15 days. First foods are infusoria, advancing to Artemia nauplii and microworms; the young must be raised separately as the parents may eat their own offspring.

Common Challenges

Parents readily eat eggs and fry, so removing the spawning medium to a separate tank is important. As a surface fish it is a capable jumper, so a tight cover is needed.