Serpentis squeaker

Care at a glance

Overview

This compact squeaker of about 12.5 centimeters is solitary and best kept one to a tank, as it does not form groups and can be territorial on the bottom. It shelters among wood and stone by day and forages at night. It is mostly peaceful, but as a caution fish it should be housed with calm, suitably sized tankmates rather than large or aggressive species. Feed sinking pellets, catfish wafers, and frozen foods such as bloodworm and daphnia. A tank of around 200 liters gives it enough room.

In the wild

It is a Kenyan fish, living in the Tana and Athi river systems of East Africa over sand, rock, and wood. Recreate that with a sand floor, bogwood, rocky caves, and moderate flow. Keep the water warm, from 23 to 27 C, at a pH of 6.5 to 7.8, from slightly acidic to slightly hard.

Good to know

A squeaker of the family Mochokidae, it reaches about 12.5 centimeters and is a Kenyan endemic. Its name, serpentis, comes from the Latin for snake. It was described by the ichthyologist Peter Whitehead in 1962. Breeding in the aquarium is unrecorded.

Did you know

Most squeaker catfishes come from West and central Africa, but this one belongs to the East African coast, restricted to just two river systems in Kenya, the Tana and the Athi.

Common questions

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