FreshwaterBrackish
Reedfish
Erpetoichthys calabaricus
Polypteridae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 37 cm
- Body shape
- Eel-like
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 1,198 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
More about the species
Description
Found in slow flowing rivers and standing waters. Apparently restricted to reedy habitats. It moves snake-wise over the bottom, but it can also side-wind quite rapidly through the water. Feeds at night on worms, crustaceans and insects. Able to breathe air and thus can tolerate low oxygen concentrations. Larvae have external gills and resemble salamander larvae. The maximum size of 90 cm TL is probably erroneous; the largest size in collections is 37 cm.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Calamichthys calabarica
- Calamichthys calabaricus
- Calamoichthys calabaricus
- Calanichthys calabaricus
- Erpetoichthys calabaris
- Erpetoichthys robbianus
In other languages
- Øreål
- Fenål, Öronål
- Panserål
- Käärmekala
- Reed, Ropefish, Sailfin, Snake Fish, Snakefish
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
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.