Clown Killi

Remarks:  Clown killifish, also known as the banded panchax, get their name from the alternating brown and tan bands from their nose to their caudal peduncle. They are also sometimes called rocket killifish due to the tails of males being pointed, with a yellow band in the middle, bordered by a thin red stripe on each side, followed by a thick blue stripe to finish the fin giving them the appearance of a rocket ship taking off. Females and juveniles have the same body color and blue eyes as males, but lack the colorful tail. The coloration present in these fish is intense and unique making them a must have for nano fish and killifish enthusiasts.

  Even for a killifish, clown killifish are considered to be a very small species. It is rare for them to ever exceed 1" in length and most for sale will usually be in the 0.25-0.5" range. With how tiny they are, care should be taken when choosing both filtration and tank mates. Some filters can easily suck these tiny fish in especially in the case of ones with overflow intakes since clown killifish are surface dwellers. This can be prevented through the use of filter grates and guards or using nanofish friendly filters such as sponge filters. As for tankmates, clown killifish should never be kept with fish that have mouths big enough to swallow them or fish that are overly aggressive. Aggressive or territorial fish can easily stress the clown killifish which is already skittish. Interestingly, unlike most killifish, this species does best in groups rather than pairs. A group of at least 6-8 fish is recommended with a preferable ratio of two females for every male as males can get a bit territorial when spawning. If not kept in proper numbers, clown killifish will be even more skittish and can become stressed resulting in them becoming ill or cause them to stop eating.

  As is typical of killifish, clown killifish are jumpers and getting spooked makes them more likely to jump. To prevent them from jumping out of the tank, a tight fitting lid should be utilized. Having floating plants in the tank such as frogbit or salvinia will also help them feel secure and can even encourage spawning as they will deposit eggs on their roots. In general, a heavily planted tank is very ideal for this species for the aforementioned reasons as well as the fact planted tanks allow for plenty of microorganism growth. Clown killifish, being micropredators, will feed on these organism which can act as a supplemental food. Due to their small size and fast metabolism, they should be fed at least twice a day with small, meaty foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, artemia, copepods, and just about any other tiny invertebrate. Some can be trained to feed on crushed flake and extremely tiny crumble or powder foods, but small live and frozen foods should always be included in their diet.

  If looking to breed clown killifish, setting up a heavily planted tank and feeding high quality foods to a group with a proper gender ratio in the right parameters can almost guarantee spawning. The real challenge is raising the fry which are born extremely tiny and will need to be fed equally tiny foods such as infusoria. There is also the threat of them being eaten by the adult fish so it is recommended to isolate fry when you see them. When you get into the process of breeding and raising these fish, they can prove to be a very rewarding project. Otherwise, they can make an excellent addition to many nano tanks.