African Reedfish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus)

Scientific name: Erpetoichthys calabaricus Smith, 1865

African Reedfish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus)
Photo: https://steemit.com/animals/@melemech/my-aquarium-fish-erpetoichthys-calabaricus

The African Reedfish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) is a freshwater fish of the family Polypteridae that grows to about 91.4 cm (36 in). It is easy to keep and peaceful, suits community aquariums and needs a tank of at least 340 L (90 US gal), water at 22.2–27.8°C (72–82°F) and a pH of 7.0. Native range: Africa, Ogun River mouth in Nigeria to Chiloango River in Congo Brazzaville .

African Reedfish care at a glance

Care level
Easy
Temperament
Peaceful
Community tank
Good
Adult size
91.4 cm (36 in)
Minimum tank
340 L (90 US gal)
Temperature
22.2–27.8°C (72–82°F)
pH
7.0
Hardness
5–19 dGH (89–339 ppm)
Diet
Carnivore. Accepts live foods.

Biology

Found in slow flowing rivers and standing waters. Apparently restricted to reedy habitats. It moves snake-wise over the bottom, but it can also side-wind quite rapidly through the water. Feeds at night on worms, crustaceans and insects. Able to breathe air and thus can tolerate low oxygen concentrations. Larvae have external gills and resemble salamander larvae. The size of 90 cm TL is not confirmed; largest size in collections is 37 cm.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Erpetoichthys calabaricus
Family
Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Order
Polypteriformes (Bichirs)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
37.0
Environment
Freshwater; brackish;; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19 demersal; depth range 0 - ? m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Ogun River mouth in Nigeria to Chiloango River in Congo Brazzaville.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Near Threatened (NT)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tmax=20; Fec

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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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