Elephantnose fish care
Gnathonemus petersii · Rivers of West and Central Africa (Niger, Ogun and upper Chari)
Elephantnose fish probe the sand with a long chin and find food with a weak electric field.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 77 to 82 °F (25 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 9 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 4 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 6 to 10 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Demanding
In a 55 gallon
48¼ × 12¾ × 21 in outsideHow to keep elephantnose fish
Elephantnose fish probe the sand with a long chin and find food with a weak electric field. One suits a 55 gallon or larger tank at 77 to 82 °F with soft sand, dim light and caves; they are timid, slow eaters and need calm tankmates.
Diet: Carnivore: frozen and live bloodworm, small worms. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Elephantnose fish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Uaru
9.8 in · 75+ gal · 79–86 °F
Blood parrot cichlid
8 in · 55+ gal · 76–80 °F
Severum
8 in · 55+ gal · 75–84 °F
Kissing gourami
12 in · 75+ gal · 72–82 °F
Angelfish
6 in · 29+ gal · 76–84 °F
Three-spot (blue) gourami
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Electric blue acara
6 in · 40+ gal · 72–82 °F
Silver dollar
6 in · 75+ gal · 75–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: elephantnose fish need 77 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Oscar: Oscars are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as elephantnose fish.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: elephantnose fish need 77 to 82 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Amazon puffer: Amazon puffers nip slow fish such as elephantnose fish.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: elephantnose fish need 77 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
What an elephantnose fish tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 200
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon elephantnose fish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Seachem Tidal 55
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon elephantnose fish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Elephantnose fish need 77 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding elephantnose fish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 77 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 55 gallon tank · Heaters for a 55 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common elephantnose fish problems
- Fast fish eat all the food first; feed frozen bloodworm after the lights go out.
- Two in a tank under about 110 gallons fight.
- They are all caught in the wild and are sensitive to poor water.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Gnathonemus petersii. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Elephantnose fish Jutta234, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Uaru Brent Tibbats, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blood parrot cichlid Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Severum Trisha M Shears, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kissing gourami 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Three-spot (blue) gourami Peter Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Electric blue acara 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silver dollar Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oscar H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black ghost knifefish Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Senegal bichir Zhyla at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African butterflyfish Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ropefish Michał Zalewski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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