baby whale fish

[TaTeR ToT]

ive beenthinking about getting one of these for a while now.

only problem is i cant find any info on them aside from their location in the wild and their scientific name.
i need to know things like expected size in aquaria, water params, flow, scaping, and diet.

i cant find anything on these fish, so if anyone can share some info on these guys that would be great.







oh nick

[Nickintex]

Unless you plan to provide for its specialized needs long term, best to leave it alone. I've seen this fish die in front of my eyes by being stressed by a Petsmart worker back in the early 90's who thought it was funny to chase the fish around then let it swim into the palm of his hand. It was belly up in a few minutes. I know they do not handle fluctuations in chemistries and temperatures well at all, and are very picky eaters.

[TaTeR ToT]

Thanks, I was afraid of that.

I figured their was a reason why there wasn't a lot of info on them.

[stevenallenbarnard]

I have an elephant nose in my tank. it seems to be okay. it eats flakes, granules and anything else small enough to fit in it's mouth. I have it with some geos too and there is no problem there. it doesn't seem to be bothered by my ghost knife either.

[mnemenoi]

They are from the family Mormyridae, a group of electric fishes originating in Africa. In the same family as elephant noses, there are a wide variety that are all imported under that common name. Some are Petrocephalus bovei bovei, Pollimyrus Isidori, and likely closely related species that lack the typical "worm jaw" of the Elephant Noses. They are very particular about water quality, even being used to test water in some countries. Water requirements vary by species, from slightly acidic to hard water. Diet and size are varied as well. Most eat bloodworms, earthworms and various small creatures they sense and dig for in a softer substrate. Other larger ones can be found in Tanganyika as top predators scouring and eating any cichlids they find. Everything I have read suggest they are communal and it is recommended they be kept either solitarily or in groups of 6 or more. I would suggest starting with a neutral water, sandy substrate and some various bogwood or rocks for ornaments in the tank. Heavy filtration and consistent water changes are a must and certainly keep down the stocking levels to ease bioload on the tank. I'd suggest bloodworms and small earthworms offered when you turn the lights out and avoid any other gregarious tankmates that might outcompete them for food. I have read that they can become agitated with other electric fish being in a tank with them, so I would avoid any knifefish, other morymids, ect. Good Luck and let us know what your results are. I'd really love to see some of those larger predatory species in a large Tanganyikan tank myself.

[mnemenoi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bb7q3L7uVM&NR=1

That covers the aggressive hunting Mormyrids of Lake Malawi. They appear to be quite sizy though...

[TaTeR ToT]

This is the species I will end up.getting If I do get one.

Pollimyrus Isidori

They are really cool, I think I will likely put thek in a 50+ g tank to start