Description
Epiplatys dageti, is a beautiful nano killifish that has a whole variety of common names. These include the red chinned panchax, black lipped panchax, orange throated panchax, and firemouth killifish. These names all point to something that is a distinctive feature of this killifish: the bright red lower jaw, with a dense black bar running right above the chin. This particular color form with the fiery jaw is collected in Monrovia, Liberia, but this little fish is also collected in Ghana as well as the Côte d’Ivoire. Other than the face, this fish also has striking black bands that run vertically on its body, sometimes incomplete bars that look more like spots. These bars lead into gorgeous spotted yellow fins with black borders.
Although this fish is occasionally found in brackish water near the coast, it is usually collected in swamps that contain copious amounts of rotting leaves and wood, which is something that you should keep in mind when setting up an aquarium for these fish. Being rather diminutive, they will want some decorations to hide inside and between in order to stay comfortable, and the addition of some leaf litter in order to soften and darken the water may be considered. Due to their being from small bodies of water, these fish are capable of taking large swings in temperature, from about 65 degrees up to around 85! As mentioned, these killifish are typically found with a lot of rotting organic matter, so you should make sure your water is not too hard, trying to stay below 250ppm water hardness, which will also help you keep the ph on the slightly acidic side, which these fish will also appreciate.
These fish are a great addition to a peaceful community tank, but they do not get much larger than 1½ to 2 inches, and so you want some tankmates that will not bother these fish, and will not be bothered by them. As with most killifish, these Epiplatys dageti are quick to eat any food floating on the top, so ensure that everybody in the tank is getting fed. If you are trying to breed these, it can be accomplished with limited success just by keeping them in a species only tank, but you would have more success if you have a separate tank that is also set up with some rotting leaves in order to drop eggs in. If you are trying to breed these fish, try to set up 1 male and 2-3 females, or grab yourself a bigger group for your community tank! These fish ship individually bagged.
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