Breeding Clown Killi (Epiplatys Annulatus) In The Aquarium

Location

This freshwater fish lives in shallow, slow-moving, forest streams, swamps, floodplains in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Body description

Body of the fish is fusiform. Colour of the body is yellow-beige. There are 4 transverse, wide, black stripes on the sides of the fish. These stripes partly intersecting the anal and dorsal fins. The dorsal fin is located next to the tail. The caudal fin looks like flame – its middle rays are elongated and its colour is orange with blue border. External rays of the caudal fin are red-blue. Iris of the eye is blue. Female is smaller and less colourful than male. Male has elongated rays of the dorsal and anal fins.

Temperament and behaviour

This is a shy species. It can be very easily intimidated by bigger and stronger fish. It isn't shoal fish but it looks good in the group of 6. The fish are not staying with the group and they prefer to swim alone. This species prefers to swim at the top water levels. It often stays under the cover of floating plants with hanging roots. You should keep these fish with similar size and temperament species like microrasboras, dwarf cichlids, corydoras, killifish, shrimps.

Aquarium decoration

This species prefers aquarium which is longer than higher. Tank should have floating plants, especially with hanging roots, substrate with layer of peat, dimmed light, filtration system with slow water flow, cover which will protect fish from jumping out of the aquarium.

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. You can breed these fish following two methods. First method- you can breed them in the general tank. The aquarium should be big enough, maintained, with the appropriate water parameters, with a lot of plants. Second method - breed the fish in a separate tank. Breeding aquarium should have soft water with pH=5.5 and 26-28°C water temperature, dimmed light, fine-leaved floating plants or floating plants with hanging roots or mops, peat in filtration system. You should feed the fish with plenty of live food before spawning. Then you transfer single male and 2 females to the breeding tank in the evening. The fish spawn every day, females lay about 20 eggs per day for the next 2 weeks. The eggs are adhesive and they stick to the plants or mops. You may move the roe every day to small containers with water. You need separate container with 1-2 cm water level for eggs from each day. You may also feed parents so they do not eat the roe and remove them after spawning. This way you can leave the eggs in the breeding aquarium up to hatching. The roe is sensitive to fungal infections so you should check and remove cloudy, covered with lint eggs every day. The eggs hatch after 10-15 days – it depends on the water temperature. You should immediately start to feed the offspring. Initially the food should be highly fragmented. The fry grows slowly and it is very delicate.