Eel mormyrid

Care at a glance

Overview

A long, slender, ribbon-bodied elephantfish that glides slowly through cover in dim tanks. Keep it singly, as it is not reliably peaceful with its own kind, and choose tankmates with caution: calm, similarly sized fish that will not outcompete this deliberate feeder. It wants a soft sand floor, dense wood and root cover to thread through, low light, and very stable water. Feed meaty foods such as bloodworm, blackworm, and small earthworm in the evening. A tank of around 300 liters suits this 29 cm fish.

In the wild

Isichthys henryi ranges through the coastal rivers of West and Central Africa, from Guinea and Liberia through Cameroon and Gabon, living among submerged roots and wood in slow, shaded water. To suit it, provide a soft substrate, plenty of tangled cover, dim lighting, and gentle flow. Keep the water warm at 23-28 C and neutral, around pH 6.5-7.5, and hold it very steady, as elephantfishes are sensitive to poor or fluctuating conditions.

Good to know

The only species in its genus, this elephantfish of the family Mormyridae reaches about 29 cm and has an elongated, almost eel-like body. Long, near-mirror-image dorsal and anal fins run down the rear half of it, and it senses its surroundings with a weak electric organ discharge from the tail. Its breeding is not documented in captivity.

Did you know

Its long, matched dorsal and anal fins let it swim backward almost as smoothly as forward, a trick elephantfishes use to keep their electric-sensing snout aimed while reversing out of tight cover.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

  Curved snout mormyrid

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  Elephant trunk mormyrid

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• Shortfin baby whale

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• 

  Bebe mormyrid

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• Churchill mormyrid

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