Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Blue Panchax
Aplocheilus panchax (Hamilton, 1822)
Also called Whitespot, Panchax
From South and Southeast Asia: from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, in fresh and brackish waters.12
At a glance the quick version
Commonly about 5 cm; up to 9 cm TL
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, slender surface killifish
A slender killifish that keeps to the upper water, easy to recognise by the bright white spot on top of its head.2
Personality what they are like
An alert insect hunter that keeps to the surface layer of the water.12
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Spends most of its time near the water surface.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Prefers clear water with dense rooted or floating plants. It tolerates slightly brackish conditions as well as fresh water.1
Home where they are happiest
Temperature about 20-25 °C, pH 6.0-8.0, hardness 5-12 dH. Clear water with plenty of floating and rooted plants.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Mainly an insect eater in the wild, including mosquito larvae.12
The story where it all began
Hamilton described it in 1822. Its range covers much of southern and south-eastern Asia, and it has long been valued locally for eating mosquito larvae.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is often called the whitespot because of the bright patch on top of its head.2
- 2
It has been used for mosquito control because it eats their larvae.1
- 3
It can live in fresh or brackish water and is even found in hot springs in Singapore.2
- 4
It breeds through much of the year, with a peak from November to March.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed June 2018)1
- Taxonomy
- Family Aplocheilidae; described by Hamilton in 18221
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Blue Panchax. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Aplocheilus panchax, Blue panchax fishbase.seused for author and year, distribution, length, environment, IUCN status, diet, habitat, breeding, mosquito control
- Wikipedia: Aplocheilus panchax en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, head spot, size, distribution, habits
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.