Clown Killifish Breeding Guide

How to breed Epiplatys annulatus, a tiny non-annual plant-spawner: sexing, breeding setup with mops or mosses, 9-12 day incubation and rearing nano fry.

Overview

Epiplatys annulatus is a very small surface-dwelling killifish native to fresh waters of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa. It is a non-annual, continuous plant-spawner, and the commonly available aquarium forms are among the best choices for those new to breeding killifish, being relatively hardy, colourful and easy to breed.

Sexing

Males are more colourful, develop more-extended fins and grow larger than females. Adult length is only a few centimetres, so a magnifier and a quiet tank help when assessing pairs.

Conditioning

Keep and condition adults in soft, acidic water; suitable parameters are 20-26 C, pH 4.0-7.0 and hardness 18-143 ppm. A varied diet of small live and frozen foods brings the fish into spawning condition.

Breeding Setup

A simple breeding tank needs a suitable medium for egg deposition: Riccia, Taxiphyllum mosses, the roots of floating plants or woollen spawning mops are all equally suitable. Filtration should be a small air-driven sponge-type unit. Most breeders use either a pair or one male with multiple females.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Eggs are deposited among the medium over an extended period. Some breeders remove and replace the spawning medium every few days to incubate eggs elsewhere, while others leave everything undisturbed until the fry become free-swimming. Larger invertebrates such as snails or shrimp must be omitted from the breeding tank as they will consume the eggs.

Egg & Fry Care

Incubation is around 9-12 days at 24-25 C. In mature planted tanks the fry are usually able to survive on the microorganisms present naturally, and a dried leaf or two can be added to promote their growth. In sterile setups the fry initially need microscopic foods such as rotifers until large enough to accept Artemia nauplii.

Common Challenges

Older fry consume younger siblings and should be separated promptly. While the adults do not predate their own offspring, eggs are vulnerable to snails and shrimp, and the smallest fry require very fine first foods.