Moderate / experienced
Large-Spot Synodontis (Synodontis ocellifer)
22–28°C · 350L
£20.99
Peaceful West African surface killifish supplied at 3-5 cm. Best in a covered, calm planted aquarium with floating cover, gentle flow and small live or frozen foods.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Photos are AI-enhanced, so the animal may show subtle colour or marking differences.
Epiplatys ansorgii
Berkenkamp's Epiplatys bond and breed in male/female pairs. Buying a pair gives them the social structure they need — and you get a better price per fish.
Peaceful West African surface killifish supplied at 3-5 cm. Best in a covered, calm planted aquarium with floating cover, gentle flow and small live or frozen foods.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Photos are AI-enhanced, so the animal may show subtle colour or marking differences.
Maintain these water conditions for optimal health and vibrant colors
Berkenkamp's Epiplatys (Epiplatys ansorgii) is a peaceful West African surface killifish supplied here at approximately 3-5 cm. FishBase treats Epiplatys ansorgii as the accepted name, records the species from rainforest brooks and small rivers in coastal lowlands from the lower Ogowe system south toward the lower Congo system, and lists males to about 8 cm total length. The familiar Berkenkamp name is still useful for hobbyists because Epiplatys berkenkampi appears in the synonym history, but the accepted name used here is Epiplatys ansorgii.
This listing is written for a calm, covered, planted aquarium where the upper water layer is quiet, food is small, and tank mates are chosen around the fish rather than around convenience. The exact Petra source photo is included for this SKU, and the existing AI gallery images are preserved as supporting aquarium views.
Choose Berkenkamp's Epiplatys if you like subtle colour, surface-dwelling behaviour and the slower rhythm of killifish keeping. It suits a keeper who can provide gentle filtration, floating cover, regular small water changes and live or frozen foods. It is a poor match for bright, high-flow aquariums, boisterous mixed communities or tanks with large surface feeders that will outcompete it. A patient keeper with a mature planted setup will see far better behaviour than someone dropping it into a busy display tank.
Males show a slim panchax-like body, warm red and gold patterning, greenish iridescence and coloured unpaired fins, with the strongest display usually appearing under calmer lighting than a white-background supplier image can show. Females are generally plainer and rounder, especially when carrying eggs. The exact Petra source image is small and elongated, but it is valuable because it anchors the listing to the real supplier fish line rather than a random library photograph. The AI aquarium images remain in the gallery to show how the fish can sit visually in a planted, covered setup.
Epiplatys ansorgii is associated with coastal lowland rainforest brooks and small rivers in western Central Africa. The AKA/WAK reference notes lower Ogowe and lower Zaire/Congo drainage records and describes small rainforest rivers and brooks as habitat. In aquarium terms, that points to quiet margins, leaf litter, roots, floating vegetation and broken light rather than fast flow or open-water glare. The fish spends much of its time near the surface, so the top of the aquarium matters as much as the substrate.
Use a mature aquarium of about 60 litres or more with a tight-fitting lid. Killifish are skilled jumpers, and surface-dwelling species are especially good at finding gaps around cables and filter pipes. Floating plants, long plant roots, Java moss, fine-leaved stems and dark background tones all help the fish settle. A sponge filter or gently baffled internal filter is better than a strong jet across the surface.
Leave calm surface lanes for feeding, but avoid a bare top layer. The fish should be able to move between floating cover and open pockets without being exposed all the time. If you use botanicals, add them carefully and monitor water quality; leaf litter and tannins can suit the habitat style, but stability is more important than chasing a dark-water look.
The safest target is 20-24 C with stable, clean water. The supplier record previously used a warmer 22-26 C band, but FishBase gives 20-24 C, so this revision uses the cooler source-backed range and treats prolonged heat as something to avoid. A pH of 6.0-7.5 is suitable, with soft to moderately hard water. Ammonia and nitrite must be zero, and nitrate should be kept low through steady maintenance.
Small, regular water changes are better than occasional large swings. Because these fish are often shy at first, water changes should be calm and predictable. Match temperature, avoid sudden pH movement and keep the surface plants from completely blocking gas exchange.
Berkenkamp's Epiplatys is an insectivore and should not be planned as a flake-only fish. Offer small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, newly hatched or small brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, bloodworm, grindal worm and fruit-fly-sized foods where available. Some individuals may accept quality micro pellets, but live and frozen foods are the reliable foundation for condition, colour and breeding readiness. Feed at the surface in small portions so the fish can eat without competing with faster midwater species.
The best setup is species-first: a pair or small group in a quiet planted aquarium. Calm community keeping can work only with very small, peaceful fish that do not harass the surface layer and do not rush all the food before the Epiplatys feed. Avoid fin nippers, large fish, aggressive cichlids, fast barbs, boisterous tetras, large gouramis and predatory invertebrates. Very small shrimp may be eaten, so do not rely on this fish as shrimp-safe.
This is a plant- and mop-spawning Epiplatys, so its eggs are handled in water rather than through a peat-drying routine. The AKA/WAK reference describes water incubation of about 12-16 days and notes that spawning mops reaching from the surface down through the tank can be used. Eggs are usually collected from fine plants or mops and incubated separately to protect them from adults. Fry are small, so plan for infusoria or another very fine first food before moving on to newly hatched brine shrimp and microworm.
Condition adults with small live foods, keep the aquarium calm and watch the female's condition if a male is persistent. Breeding success depends more on routine than force: steady water, clean spawning media, tiny first foods and patient observation.
Berkenkamp's Epiplatys is shipped by live-animal courier when conditions are suitable. Livestock is packed around welfare, weather and route timing, and covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. Please have the covered, mature aquarium ready before dispatch day, with floating cover and small foods available for the first week after arrival.
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