Striped panchax, Golden Wonder (Aplocheilus lineatus) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Golden wonder killi, Golden wonder panchax
Family
Aplocheilidae (Asian killifishes)
Origin
Peninsular India and northern Sri Lanka, in streams, upland lakes, wells, swamps and rice paddies, sometimes brackish water. Introduced to Singapore and Hong Kong.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
10 cm
Temperature
24–27°C
pH
6–7.5
Hardness
Medium to hard, 5–20 dGH
Minimum tank
68 litres
Care level
beginner
Temperament
semi_aggressive
Lifespan
About 6 years years

Care

The striped panchax is one of the largest and toughest killifish in the hobby and a good first killie. It is a lurking surface predator, hanging just under the surface waiting for insects to land, so think of it as a small pike rather than a community nano fish. Males squabble with each other, so keep one male with two or three females, or a larger group only in a roomy tank with plenty of cover to break up sight lines. A tank with a base of at least 75 × 30 cm (about 68 litres) is the minimum. Plant it densely, add driftwood and some rocks for hiding places, keep the lighting fairly dim and let floating plants cover part of the surface, as the fish like to sit under overhanging cover. A tight-fitting lid is essential: this is a superb jumper and will find any gap. Unlike many killies it comes from permanent waters and is not an annual species, so it is long-lived for a killifish, with about six years quoted. Keep it warm, at about 24–27 °C, in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline water (pH 6–7.5) of moderate to fairly high hardness. It copes with a wide range of conditions, including slightly brackish water, but still needs regular water changes. The bright yellow fish sold as 'golden wonder' is an aquarium strain of this species that was selectively bred in the hobby and does not exist in the wild; wild-type fish are greenish with dark bars, especially in females. A red strain and wild-type (type locality) fish are also kept. Avoid mixing different strains or populations if you want to keep them true. Males are larger and more colourful than females and have thinner dark bars on the flanks. FishBase lists the species as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. In its native range it has been used to control mosquitoes. Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/aplocheilus-lineatus/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Aplocheilus-lineatus.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aplocheiluslineatus). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A surface-feeding predator that takes insects and small fish in the wild. In the aquarium it is not fussy and will take flake, pellets, frozen and live foods; give plenty of meaty foods such as bloodworm, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp and small insects like fruit flies or crickets to keep it in top condition.

Breeding

A non-annual plant spawner and easy to breed. The pair spawns daily over about two weeks, laying some 10–30 sticky eggs a day among fine-leaved plants, Java moss or a spawning mop. Either move the mop or plants with eggs to a separate container, or pick the eggs off by hand, as the adults will eat eggs and fry. The eggs take around 11–14 days to hatch depending on temperature. The fry are large enough to take newly hatched brine shrimp and microworm straight away.

Compatibility and tank mates

Will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth, so do not keep it with small tetras, rasboras, guppies or shrimp. It does well with peaceful fish too big to be eaten, such as larger tetras and other characins, peaceful cichlids, Corydoras and suckermouth catfish. Males are aggressive to each other; keep one male per tank unless it is large and well planted.

Last updated 4 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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