Epiplatys sexfasciatus Breeding Guide

How to breed the six-barred panchax Epiplatys sexfasciatus, a non-annual West African plant-spawner: sexing, breeding setup, egg collection and a 12-14 day incubation.

Overview

Epiplatys sexfasciatus, the six-barred panchax, is a West and Central African surface-dwelling killifish recorded from Gabon through Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. According to FishBase and Wikipedia it reaches up to about 10 cm. It is a non-annual species, so eggs are laid among plants and do not require a dry diapause. Seriously Fish describes it as relatively easy to breed.

Sexing

Seriously Fish notes that males are more colourful, possess more-extended fins and grow larger than females. Mature females are plainer and rounder-bodied when carrying eggs.

Conditioning

As a moderate predator of the upper water column, this species responds to a varied diet of small live and frozen invertebrates. Well-fed adults spawn more readily, and Seriously Fish recommends separating a chosen pair or one male with several females in a dedicated tank to maximise output.

Breeding Setup

Seriously Fish recommends a simple breeding aquarium containing spawning media such as Riccia, Taxiphyllum moss, floating plant roots or woollen spawning mops. A small air-driven sponge filter is preferred where filtration is needed. Snails and shrimp should be avoided in the breeding tank because they consume eggs.

Spawning Behaviour & Trigger

A single pair or one male with multiple females is used. The fish are continuous plant-spawners, depositing eggs on the chosen medium over several days. In a mature, decorated community tank fry may even appear spontaneously, but a separate setup prevents predation of eggs and young.

Egg & Fry Care

Spawning media can be removed every few days for separate incubation, or left undisturbed until free-swimming fry appear. Seriously Fish gives an incubation period of 12-14 days. In a mature planted tank with natural microorganisms the fry can survive without supplemental feeding, and adding dried leaf litter promotes microbial growth; under sterile conditions they need microscopic foods such as rotifers before graduating to Artemia nauplii.

Common Challenges

The main risks are predation of eggs and fry by tank mates, snails and shrimp, and starvation of first-feeding fry where no microfauna is present. Maintaining clean, soft, slightly acidic water (Seriously Fish lists a general range of pH 5.0-7.0 and 18-215 ppm) reduces losses.