Breeding Fact Sheet No. 22

Epiplatys infrafasciatus rathkei. Kumba. Radda 1970.
a.k.a.Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei
a.k.a. Epiplatys infrafasciatus infrafasciatus

This is a very pretty species of Epiplatys that is found in the Cameroon's, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. They are also found on the island of Fernando Po. These fish were purchased in Holland as Epiplatys rathkei Kumba. They were not advertised as wild caught fish so one can only assume that the location of Kumba originated with the wild caught fish from which these specimens are derived. It was reported to be a synonym of Epiplatys infrafasciatus infrafasciatus, and has also been known as Epiplatys sexfasciatus rathkei, and Epiplatys infrafasciatus rathkei! The correct name (according to the latest information on Killi-Data) is the latter i.e. Epiplatys infrafasciatus rathkei. They seem to be undemanding with regard to water conditions. Moderately soft water is ideal. The adult fish will eat almost all that is placed in front of them. They do however; have a preference for live food. They are fairly typical of most of the Epiplatys species in that they are 'mop' spawners and the large eggs are slightly adhesive. A large spawning mop placed in the tank will soon attract the fish to commence egg laying. I generally harvest the eggs daily and place them in a small container to develop and await hatching. It is however possible to place them in damp peat where they may be stored for at least four weeks prior to hatching. The first signs of development within the egg occurred after four days. At ten days, fry were hatching out and looking for food. Again, with this batch of fry, I used the ZM range of food. As the fry are somewhat larger than rainbow fry, I opted to use the ZM-100 grade of food. This grade has a larger particle size and proved to be ideal for these fish. As the fry grew, they were fed chopped tubifex and ZM -200 dried food. As they grow, they need to be moved to a larger tank which (preferably) is well planted. They can be quite aggressive to one another and fins can become quite badly damaged if they do not have sufficient space and hiding places. Growth is fairly rapid. Fry of Glossolepis dorityi hatched the same day, are less than a quarter of the size of the Epiplatys.

© Pete Cottle, 2005. This fact sheet may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author.