African knifefish (Xenomystus nigri)

Scientific name: Xenomystus nigri G?nther, 1868

African knifefish (Xenomystus nigri)
Photo: http://fishindex.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-african-knifefish-xenomystus.html

The African knifefish (Xenomystus nigri) is a freshwater fish of the family Notopteridae that grows to about 30 cm (12 in). It is moderate to keep and aggressive, needs carefully chosen tank mates and needs a tank of at least 210 L (55 US gal), water at 23–28°C (73–82°F) and a pH of 6.0–8.0. Native range: Africa, Widely distributed in the Nile, Chad, Niger, Ogowe and Congo river basins.

African knifefish care at a glance

Care level
Moderate
Temperament
Aggressive
Community tank
With caution
Adult size
30 cm (12 in)
Minimum tank
210 L (55 US gal)
Temperature
23–28°C (73–82°F)
pH
6.0–8.0
Hardness
5–19 dGH (89–339 ppm)
Diet
Carnivore. Accepts live foods.

Biology

Dorsal spines: 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 108 - 130. Body height 5-5.4 x SL, head length 6.9-7.5 x SL, snout smaller than eye, eye diameter 3.8-4.5 x head length, maxilla extends to vertical of eye center or just under the eye's posterior border, ventral spines 25-32

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Xenomystus nigri
Family
Notopteridae (Featherbacks or knifefishes)
Order
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
30.0
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19 demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: widely distributed in tropical Africa, in the Nile, Chad, Niger, Ogowe and Congo basins. Also distributed in coastal rivers in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, but not found in C?te d'Ivoire nor Ghana.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.

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