Freshwater
Elephantnose fish
Gnathonemus petersii
Mormyridae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 35 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 1,044 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Nigeria, and Zambia.
More about the species
Description
Occurs close to the bottom where it probes for food with the long snout. Territorial and usually aggressive towards members of its own species. This behavior has been shown to involve electric organ discharge (EOD) activity. Feeds mostly at night on worms and insects, probably aided by electro-sensory inputs. Electroreceptors are distributed over the entire head, the dorsal and ventral regions of the body, but absent from the side and the caudal peduncle where the electric organ is located. Sex-related EOD characteristics in this species has been demonstrated in the laboratory with freshly imported samples during the breeding season; such EOD dimorphism changed with time in captivity. Lead nitrate in water significantly increased EOD rate and selectively altered the EOD waveform of this species. Dubbed a `hearing specialist' having auditory abilities in the range of 100-2500 Hz, with `best frequencies' between 300 and 600 Hz. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 150 cm; not recommended for home aquariums.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Gnathonemus brevicaudatus
- Gnathonemus histrio
- Gnathonemus peters
- Gnathonemus petersi
- Mormyrus petersii
In other languages
- Elefantnesefisk
- Elefantfisk
- Peters elefantfisk, Almindelig Elefantfisk
- Mustanorsukala
- Elephant fish, Elephant nose, Long-nosed Elephant Fish, Peter's elephantnose, Peters' elephantnose fish, Ubangi mormyrid
Articles
All articles
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.
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.