Mouth almighty

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a big-mouthed ambush predator, best kept singly and only with fish far too large to be swallowed. It is not a bully or a fin-nipper, but it will eat any tankmate that fits in its enormous mouth, so choose companions with real caution or keep it on its own. It hangs quietly among wood and plants in the middle of the tank, waiting to lunge, and needs dense cover to feel secure, or it turns shy and skittish. Feed meaty foods such as earthworms, prawn, and pieces of fish, and wean it off live fish where you can. A well-planted tank of around 300 liters gives one room to settle.

In the wild

The mouth almighty lives in rivers, billabongs, and slow backwaters across northern Australia and southern New Guinea, holding still among snags and thick waterside plants. Give it the same in the tank: driftwood, roots, and dense planting to ambush from and hide in. It is undemanding on chemistry and tolerates a wide range, doing well from 22 to 30 C at a pH of 6.5 to 7.8.

Good to know

Glossamia aprion is a fully freshwater cardinalfish, family Apogonidae, and reaches up to about 18 centimeters, large for the group. The male is a mouthbrooder: he takes the eggs into his mouth and holds them for roughly two weeks, then shelters the fry for another week, going without food the whole time. Breeding is of moderate difficulty in a well-set-up tank.

Did you know

Its Australian name is a fair warning. The mouth spans close to a third of the head, and the same jaws that gulp down shrimp and small fish also serve as a safe nursery where the father broods his young.

Common questions

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