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Others
/ Mormyridae / Elephant Nose Fish
Long-nosed Elephant Fish, Elephant Nose, Peter's Elephantnose
Gnathonemus petersii | Pictures
Synonyms: Mormyrus
petersii, Gnathonemus pictus
Physical description: This species has an elongated, laterally compressed body.
The Elephant Nose has a small round
mouth that is located above its trunk-like extension or proboscis.
The dorsal and ventral profiles are
symmetric with the anal and dorsal fins being located across from one another.
The caudal fin is forked.
The
coloration is black or blackish-brown with two yellowish-white stripes extending vertically between the dorsal
and anal fins.
Size/Length: To 9" (23 cm)
Similar species: Other Gnathonemus
species.
Habitat: Moving water, often muddy, near submerged wood in West and Central Africa; Zaire,
Nigeria, Cameroon.
S: bottom, middle
Aquarium: A 30" (76 cm) or 25-30 gallon (95-114 L) is sufficient, although larger tanks
are required for individuals exceeding 6" (15 cm) in length.
The tank should be well-planted and muted lighting
should be used.
Provide overturned flower pots, pipes, caves, or tubes for each fish to serve as a retreat.
Use
fine gravel or sand as a substrate.
Furnish the tank with wood and rocks.
Water chemistry: pH 6-7.2 (6.7), 3-12 dH (7), 73-82°F (23-28°C)
Social behavior:
The Elephant Nose is peaceful with other community fish, but territorial with others of
its own species.
Do not combine with aggressive species (Cichlids) for the Elephant Nose may not be able
to compete for food.
Do not keep in pairs as the weaker fish may be harassed.
The Elephant Nose can be combined in
groups of three or more because the aggression is dispersed.
A nocturnal species.
Suggested companions: Congo Tetra, Synodontis
, Characins, Killifish, Eartheaters, Angelfish, African Butterfly fish, West African Cichlids
FOOD: Live; Tubifex,
other worms, insect larvae,
Artemia; occasionally flakes.
Feed
after the lights are off.
Sexual differences: Unknown
Sexual differences: No obvious external differences, the electric organ discharge (EOD) in G. petersii is used in sexual identification.
Breeding techniques: According to Dr Robert Landsman of ANOVA Science Education, one reason that this species has not been bred in captivity is that the electric signals of males and females sex reverse so that males send out female-like (shorter shaped) signals and females send out male-like (longer shaped) signals when they are brought into captivity. Thus, captivity induces signal sex-reversal so that the fish probably cannot communicate between genders appropriately. Learn more >
REMARKS:
The Long-nosed elephant fish has an electrical organ which it uses to find its food.
Its
brain size to body weight ratio is higher than that of humans.
Unlike man, its cerebellum is larger than its
front brain.
The Long-nosed elephant fish is used by water departments in the U.S. and Germany to test the quality
of drinking water.
When the quality of the water declines the amount of electrical pulses released increases.
Since
the Long-nosed elephant fish has very poor vision, it uses the trunk or proboscis to locate its food.
Elephant-nose fish are depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs dating from around 2500 BC. Always use a good water conditioner for this sensitive
species.
They are often intolerant of fish medications.
Difficulty of care: 5.
This interesting species requires live foods and well maintained water.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
How to save the world's oceans from overfishing
(7/8/2007) Global fishing stocks are in trouble. After expanding from 18 millions tons in 1950 to around 94 million tons in 2000, annual world fish catch has leveled off and may even be declining. Scientists estimate that the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has fallen by 90 percent since the 1950s, while about one-quarter of the world's fisheries are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Despite these dire trends, the situation is changing. Today some of the world's largest environmental groups are focused on addressing the health of marine life and oceans, while sustainable fisheries management is at the top of the agenda for intergovenmental bodies. At the forefront of these efforts is Mike Sutton, director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's conservation program: the Center for the Future of the Oceans. The aquarium, which has long been recognized as one of the world's most important marine research facilities, is pioneering new strategies for protecting the planet's oceans. Sutton says the approach has four parts: establishing new marine protected areas, pushing for ocean policy reform, promoting sustainable seafood, and protecting wildlife and marine ecosystems.
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