Crossbanded Pikeling - Epiplatys dageti dageti - DNZ

Epiplatys dageti dageti, the cross banded pike, originates from West Africa, habitats are  here among others  the Ivory Coast, Liberia and Ghana. There it primarily inhabits near shore, heavily weedy and swampy areas. It is another old acquaintance, since its first import around 1900 it has successfully established itself in aquaristics and still inspires many fish lovers today. It belongs to the family of the egg-laying tooth carps(killifish).  

Sex differences are relatively difficult to discern in the pike, but the adult, dominant males are clearly more colorful and also grow somewhat larger than the rather drab olive-green/yellowish colored females.

For keeping in the aquarium, tanks from 54 liters or 60 cm edge length are recommended, whereby tanks with a larger footprint, high tanks are to be preferred, since they meet the needs of the animals. The planting of the aquarium should be rather dense, but also offer enough free swimming space. Areas with floating plants are very suitable for the pike as lurking hunters. Since they mainly wait for approach food, or food "from above", which they even jump after, the aquarium should be well covered.

Since the Pikeling is a predator and lurker, which in nature feeds on small insects and fish fry, it is recommended to socialize it only with co-inhabitants of the same size, which are not too hectic. Otocinclus, armored catfish and larger, calm tetras, for example, would be suitable company for the fish. A socialization with dwarf shrimps like Neocaridina or Caridina, apart from the popular Amana shrimp is unnecessary due to the predatory nature of the fish Gabon Fan Shrimp would be the better choice here, plus they come from the same continent. It would have to be taken into account that the fan shrimp are offered flow-rich, the pike shrimp rather calm zones in the aquarium.

The reproduction of the cross banded shrimp is not too difficult under suitable conditions, however, if you want to reproduce the animals specifically, it is better to do it in a species tank, without by-fish. The animals belong to the adhesive spawners and perform their spawning business in pairs, whereby up to 200 eggs are attached to the leaves of the water plants and especially to the roots of the floating plants.

When feeding the crossbanded pike, live food such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, water fleas and artemia should be given as often as possible; fruit flies would also be a wonderful addition here, very close to the natural diet. Supplemented with classic frozen foods and a high quality dry food, you set the optimal conditions for the animals to reach their maximum age of about 5 years.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Cichfeed has a grain size of 1.5 mm and is therefore also suitable for larger fish. The NH Cichfeed is a soft granulate for predominantly carnivorous fish. It has the same consistency as small crustaceans and insect larvae that fish naturally eat, and the soft granules protect the fish mouth from micro-injuries that can occur from hard feed granules.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.