Easy to intermediate
Chocolate Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)
18–26°C · pH 6.5–8 · 30L
£13.99
West African surface killifish supplied at 3-5 cm. Current name Epiplatys togolensis; best in a covered, calm planted aquarium with floating cover 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 togolensis
Togo Panchax 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.
West African surface killifish supplied at 3-5 cm. Current name Epiplatys togolensis; best in a covered, calm planted aquarium with floating cover 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
Togo Panchax (Epiplatys togolensis) is a West African surface killifish supplied here at approximately 3-5 cm. Older trade and supplier wording may still place this fish under Epiplatys sexfasciatus togolensis, and the Petra record uses the shortened wording Epiplatys sexfasciatus/togolen. Current taxonomic references support Epiplatys togolensis as the cleaner customer-facing name, so this listing uses that name while preserving the older wording naturally for buyers comparing labels.
FishBase lists Epiplatys togolensis from Togo, with adults reaching about 8 cm total length and a tropical temperature range of 22-28 C. Specialist killifish references describe Togo Panchax-type habitat as quiet coastal rainforest water: small rivers, brooks, shaded margins and calmer areas with surface cover. It is not a peat-diving seasonal killifish; care should be built around a stable, covered, planted aquarium and small surface foods.
Choose Togo Panchax if you like alert surface behaviour, a long panchax body shape and a more specialist West African killifish than the usual community choice. It suits keepers who can provide a tight lid, floating plants, calm filtration, steady water quality and suitably small live or frozen foods. It is not the best match for a bright, fast-current aquarium or for tanks dominated by rushing midwater feeders. In the right setup it becomes much more visible, patrolling the upper layer and taking food neatly from the surface.
The exact Petra source photo shows the long-bodied surface-feeding shape, upturned mouth and colourful male pattern that make this line distinctive. The fish shows blue-green body sheen, red spotting, warm orange-red in the fins and a bright tail pattern, with darker bars still visible through the body. Females are normally plainer, rounder and less intensely coloured, especially outside breeding condition.
The source photograph is included because it anchors this SKU to the real supplier fish line. The existing planted-aquarium gallery images remain in place as supporting views for behaviour, scale and presentation, but they do not replace the exact source image. No existing image is removed in this cleanup.
Epiplatys togolensis belongs with the West African surface killifish kept around shaded margins, small rivers, brooks and quiet vegetated water. The AKA/WAK Epiplatys reference gives the type locality near Eyo/Palime in Togo and describes small rivers and brooks, including calmer areas of larger rivers. In aquarium terms, think broken light, plant roots, surface shade, marginal cover and gentle movement rather than open bright water.
A light botanical tint can suit the fish, but the aim is stability rather than making the water extreme. Floating plants are more important than dark water alone. They give the fish security, break up light and create a natural feeding zone at the surface.
Use a mature aquarium with a secure lid. Surface killifish can jump through surprisingly small gaps around cables, pipework and filter returns, so cover those spaces carefully. A group can be kept in an 80 cm aquarium or larger, with floating plants such as Salvinia, frogbit or Pistia, fine-leaved stems, Java moss, shaded corners and open pockets at the surface for feeding.
Gentle filtration is best. A sponge filter or baffled internal filter gives oxygen and biological stability without pushing the fish away from the top layer. Use a dark background or planting to make the colours stand out, but avoid constant rearranging once the fish has settled. This is a fish that rewards calm routine: stable water, cover, quiet tank mates and food that reaches the surface.
Use 22-28 C as the source-backed temperature range, with the middle of that range a sensible everyday target. A pH around 6.0-7.5 is suitable if it is stable, and soft to moderately hard water is usually a better match than very hard, high-nitrate water. Ammonia and nitrite must stay at zero, and nitrate should be kept low with small, regular water changes.
During maintenance, match temperature and avoid sudden chemistry swings. If you use botanicals, add them gradually and keep the filter mature. The fish is not difficult because it needs unusual equipment; it is moderate because it needs a thoughtful covered surface zone, careful tank mate choices and regular small foods.
Togo Panchax is an insect-focused surface predator. Offer small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, mosquito larvae, bloodworm, brine shrimp, grindal worm and fruit-fly-sized foods when available. Some individuals may learn to take quality micro pellets, but dry food should not be the whole diet. Feed small portions at the surface so the fish can eat before faster midwater species take everything.
Condition and colour improve with variety. Heavy meals that sink away can foul the tank and are less useful than small regular feeds. If the fish is shy after arrival, start with dim light, floating cover and tempting frozen or live foods until it learns the routine.
This is a peaceful but predatory upper-layer killifish. Males may display to each other, especially around spawning cover, but the main care issue is usually competition rather than aggression. They can be outfed by fast tetras, barbs and other busy midwater fish, and they can become nervous in exposed tanks with strong flow. A calm, planted layout lets them behave naturally.
The safest plan is a species-first setup or a very calm community. Suitable companions are small, peaceful fish that do not nip fins, crowd the surface or rush all the food. Peaceful bottom dwellers can work in a larger, well-structured aquarium because they use a different layer. Avoid large fish, aggressive fish, fast barbs, fin-nippers, large surface feeders and predatory invertebrates.
Do not rely on Togo Panchax as shrimp-safe. Adult shrimp may survive in dense planting, but tiny shrimplets and fry are natural prey-sized items. If you keep shrimp for breeding, choose a different fish or keep the killifish separately.
Togo Panchax is best approached as a plant- and mop-spawning Epiplatys. Provide fine plants or yarn mops reaching through the upper water and condition adults with small live foods. Eggs can be left in a dense species tank or collected if you want better fry survival. Fry are small and need very fine first foods such as infusoria before moving on to newly hatched brine shrimp.
Because this is not a seasonal peat-spawning killifish, avoid forcing a dramatic dry cycle. Good cover, steady water, appropriate foods and patient egg collection are the better route.
Identity and care notes for this page were checked against FishBase for accepted name, family, size, temperature and freshwater habitat, the Catalog of Fishes for current taxonomic status, the AKA/WAK Epiplatys reference for locality and habitat wording, and Petra supplier data for the supplied size and exact source photo. The older Epiplatys sexfasciatus togolensis wording is retained only as helpful label context.
Togo Panchax is shipped by live-animal courier when weather and route timing are suitable. Livestock is packed around welfare, oxygen, temperature and journey time, and is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. Please have the covered, mature aquarium ready before dispatch day, with floating cover and suitably small foods available for the first week after arrival.
18–26°C · pH 6.5–8 · 30L
23–27°C · pH 7.4–8.4 · 500L
20–27°C · pH 6–7 · 54L
23–27°C · pH 7.4–8.4 · 150L
24–28°C · pH 6.5–7.8 · 300L
20–24°C · pH 7–8 · 45L
24–28°C · pH 6.5–7.5 · 2000L
24–28°C · pH 7.5–8.5 · 200L
24–28°C · pH 5.5–7 · 60L
18–25°C · pH 6–8 · 100L
24–28°C · pH 7–8 · 120L
18–28°C · pH 6.5–8 · 20L
24–27°C · pH 7.5–8.8 · 150L
22–26°C · pH 6–7.5 · 60L
24–28°C · pH 7.5–8.5 · 40L
24–28°C · pH 7.5–8.5 · 500L