Freshwater
Airbreathing shellear
Kneria auriculata
Kneriidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 7 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 13 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
- Temperament
- Missing
- Swims
- Missing
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Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Congo - Kinshasa, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
More about the species
Description
Usually found in small headwater streams with fast water associated with rapids and a boulder stream floor, with or without aquatic vegetation. Shoals occur in pools of small, clear, silt-free, rocky streams; reported to breathe air and to climb over damp rocks and up the sides of waterfalls during migrations. Can tolerate living out of the water for a long time if conditions are damp. Scrapes diatoms, algae, and detritus from rock surfaces and also takes small aquatic insects such as mayfly nymphs and midge larvae; matures after a year; breeds in spring and summer, larger females bear up to 600 eggs. Moves on to flooded grasslands during the rainy season. Males and females have been observed swimming together, apparently joined side by side by means of the males' opercular disc.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Kneria articulata
- Kneria auriculatus
- Kneria autriculata
- Xenopomatichthys auricularis
- Xenopomatichthys auriculatus
- Xenopomichthys auriculatus
In other languages
- Hingemouth, Southern kneria
Articles
All articles
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
Ich (white spot)4 min read
The most common disease in aquarium fish. How to recognize it, why it shows up, and how to get rid of it.