Family: Aplocheilidae
Distribution: Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei is endemic to Cameroon, Africa.
PH: 6.0 – 6.5 pH
Temperature: 22 – 26°C (72 – 79 °F)
Hardness: 3 – 6 dH
Description: Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei are lively fish and are well-suited to community tanks. Although there is a lack of information available, they do not appear to be notably territorial or aggressive except toward smaller fish, thus a tank with a similar temperament and larger body size would be idyllic.
This species are one of the larger species, growing to a length of 8cm. Being surface feeders, they have an upturned mouth. They are extremely striking in appearance: a vibrant blue body covered with reddish-orange spots; an anal fin with blue-ish tinge and yellow and brown lines on the border; a caudal fin that is also finished with large yellow and brown streaks along the sides.
It is distinguishable from Epiplatys baroi by the 9-11 transverse bars along its body.
These are not seasonal killifish.
Diet: Information regarding preferred diet is sparse; therefore it is recommended that aquarists experiment with the common Epiplatys diet of high-quality flake and live foods.
Breeding: Due to the south-eastern localisation of Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei, they are more difficult to breed. It takes around 8-9 months for the fry to reach sexual maturity, quite slow in comparison to other Epiplatys species.
An ideal breeding set-up includes a tank of clean water, frequent water changes (encourages spawning), dark, and peat for spawning eggs onto. Breeders should only use fish that are older than a year old, as younger fish will have extremely low productivity.
Eggs and fry should be separated from adults and put into a breeding tank or dish, as the parents can be cannibalistic towards smaller fish.
Comments: Information on this species is scant due to its rarity. This may be due to the difficulty of breeding. Owing to the lack of information, general killifish information has been used, specifically that relating to the Epiplatys sexfasciatus sub-species.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species: Due to the peaceful temperament and liveliness of Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei, it is perfect for community tanks. They should live happily with Tetra species (particularly the Neon Tetra and Black Tetra). They also should be good tank mates with Discus, Apistogramma‘s like Apistogramma Cacatouides and Apistogramma Borelli, Corydoras Catfish (particularly Corydoras Sterbai and Corydoras aeneus) Angelfish, Clown loach, the common Guppy and Platy and most Gourami (such as the Blue Gourami and Dwarf Gourami like the Honey Gourami) Also should live happily with most Danio (particularly the Zebra Danioand Pearl Danio) and also many other Killifish could make great tank mates.
Originally posted 2010-04-17 12:19:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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