Elphant Nose
- Thread starter barnesj2
- Start date
Castellop123
Fish Herder
Cheers...
Kevin_D
Fish Crazy
Is it true that they need a mature tank of 6 months or more? I was told this a while ago in a locl aquatics shop.
Thanks
Thanks
rob newland
Fish Crazy
It's probably best because they are very sensitive fish - plus they grow big too.
Rob
Rob
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
They are very specialised and difficult fish to keep, although they themselves are not particularly expensive, the tank setup habitat required to keep them is. They are very sensitive to water quality, need live foods, are nocturnal fish, easily stressed out by all sorts of things and need a very soft/fine substrate and lots of hiding places etc etc.
If you are planning on keeping an elephant nose fish i would advise doing as much research as posible on them- i am not trying to put you off keeping these fish, but is important to realise that they are definately amoungst some of the most challenging fish to keep successfully out there in the long term available in the hobby. Many elephant nose fish seem to die for no obvious reason at all even in the hands of experienced and knowledgable fishkeepers.
If you are planning on keeping an elephant nose fish i would advise doing as much research as posible on them- i am not trying to put you off keeping these fish, but is important to realise that they are definately amoungst some of the most challenging fish to keep successfully out there in the long term available in the hobby. Many elephant nose fish seem to die for no obvious reason at all even in the hands of experienced and knowledgable fishkeepers.
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
I'm going to reiterate what Tokis-Phoenix has said. Elephantnoses -- and indeed all mormyrids -- are incredibly difficult to keep in aquaria. We kept them in labs when I was doing my undergraduate degree and they were a hassle even for people experienced with them. There are lots of much easier oddballs to keep. Elephantnoses make spiny eels look like beginner's fish, and are probably right up (down?) there with stingrays in the demands they set on the fishkeeper.
If you do want to buy them, buy one or a dozen -- nothing in between -- because they are very antagonistic towards each other in small groups. Also, but them the moment they come in, because they will be half-starved already, and every additional day reduces your chances of success. Live foods, to begin with, are essential. I'd also STRONGLY suggest quarantining them or else keeping them in a single species tank -- you need to make sure they are feeding. Never, ever mix with anything else that feeds at night (e.g. eels, catfish, or loaches). Water chemistry doesn't matter much, but water quality does, so you need to do big (50%) water changes on a weekly basis. They are intolerant of copper medications, so never, ever use copper-based medications (like anti-whitespot potion) on an elephantnose.
The "maturity" of the tank is probably a red herring, and I certainly wouldn't imagine it makes any difference whether the tank is 6 weeks or 6 months old. What matters is that the filter is mature, because they have ZERO tolerance of nitrite and ammonia. So, provided the tank is stable and not cycling anymore, it'll be fine for an elephantnose. By all means do water quality tests once the fish is installed, and perform water changes as required.
They are excellent fish, and terrific fun to watch. Even better if you have an oscilloscope to hand and can "listen" to their electrical sonar. They are supposedly among the more intelligent fish, and have surprisingly large brains. But as engaging as they are, they are not easy fish, and certainly not ones to buy on impulse.
Cheers, Neale
If you do want to buy them, buy one or a dozen -- nothing in between -- because they are very antagonistic towards each other in small groups. Also, but them the moment they come in, because they will be half-starved already, and every additional day reduces your chances of success. Live foods, to begin with, are essential. I'd also STRONGLY suggest quarantining them or else keeping them in a single species tank -- you need to make sure they are feeding. Never, ever mix with anything else that feeds at night (e.g. eels, catfish, or loaches). Water chemistry doesn't matter much, but water quality does, so you need to do big (50%) water changes on a weekly basis. They are intolerant of copper medications, so never, ever use copper-based medications (like anti-whitespot potion) on an elephantnose.
The "maturity" of the tank is probably a red herring, and I certainly wouldn't imagine it makes any difference whether the tank is 6 weeks or 6 months old. What matters is that the filter is mature, because they have ZERO tolerance of nitrite and ammonia. So, provided the tank is stable and not cycling anymore, it'll be fine for an elephantnose. By all means do water quality tests once the fish is installed, and perform water changes as required.
They are excellent fish, and terrific fun to watch. Even better if you have an oscilloscope to hand and can "listen" to their electrical sonar. They are supposedly among the more intelligent fish, and have surprisingly large brains. But as engaging as they are, they are not easy fish, and certainly not ones to buy on impulse.
Cheers, Neale
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
Superb stuff!
Yep, they're amazing fish if you can set up the system to "hear" them. As I understand it, each fish has to have it own frequency, but within a group the dominant fish gets the best frequency that allows the finest resolution. The lower down the hierarchy a fish is, the worse the frequency it gets stuck with. When they are bullying each other, that's part of the reason, and in the confines of an aquarium, a fish can't swim away and use a good frequency somewhere else, it has to struggle constantly to fight over ownership of that good frequency. There's a ton of reasearch on them, and they really are worth keeping; it's a shame they're just not easy fish.
Cheers, Neale
Yep, they're amazing fish if you can set up the system to "hear" them. As I understand it, each fish has to have it own frequency, but within a group the dominant fish gets the best frequency that allows the finest resolution. The lower down the hierarchy a fish is, the worse the frequency it gets stuck with. When they are bullying each other, that's part of the reason, and in the confines of an aquarium, a fish can't swim away and use a good frequency somewhere else, it has to struggle constantly to fight over ownership of that good frequency. There's a ton of reasearch on them, and they really are worth keeping; it's a shame they're just not easy fish.
Cheers, Neale
How large a tank would you recommend for 12 in a species tank?
One day I would like to have a go at keeping these magnificent creatures, in a large group rather than their own.
Cheers,
Mike
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
No idea. Probably depends on their size (they don't grow very fast). I'd personally opt for one of the smaller species -- there are very similar fish about 12-15 cm long, and they'd be easy enough to keep in a group in even a 55 gallon tank, maybe less. The "baby whale" Pollimyrus castelnaui is quite common in the trade, only gets to 7 cm long, and even lives in the hard water areas around Lake Malawi, so should be perfectly happy in English 'liquid chalk'. Known as the "stonebasher" because it forages around rocks, so no worries with a soft substrate, either. Apparently a schooling fish, so keeping a group of half a dozen in a 40 gallon tank might be feesible (this is a peaceful species compared with the elephantnose, but I'd personally not risk keeping it in twos or threes). This species is often confused with Pollimyrus isidori, a larger (9 cm) but similar species. There are other similar-looking species, like Petrocephalus bovei that have different needs and may get larger and/or be more aggressive. So be sure and ID any "baby whales" before throwing down your cash.
Cheers, Neale
Cheers, Neale
Thanks,
I was thinking of keeping the common species ( Peters elephantnose ) but I did not consider other species.I have come across 'the baby whale' before at my LFS so maybe I could get an order in. A smaller species would be more ideal and I should be able to provide them with better conditions. I'll be sure to do plenty of research first. I wouldn't consider keeping a Elephant nose species on its own as I would like to see them act in groups.
Cheers,
Mike
I was thinking of keeping the common species ( Peters elephantnose ) but I did not consider other species.I have come across 'the baby whale' before at my LFS so maybe I could get an order in. A smaller species would be more ideal and I should be able to provide them with better conditions. I'll be sure to do plenty of research first. I wouldn't consider keeping a Elephant nose species on its own as I would like to see them act in groups.
Cheers,
Mike
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