Erpetoichthys calabaricus
| Common Names: | Reedfish Ropefish Snakefish |
| Synonyms: | Calamichthys calabaricus Calamoichthys calabaricus |
| Family: | Polypteridae |
| Category: | OthersFW |
| Distribution: | Africa; Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Main Ecosystem: | Delta; The Niger River, and the Niger River delta. |
| Temperament: | Peaceful; Will eat small fish, but otherwise quite peaceful and agreeable. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; Live foods such as insects, fish, tubifex worms, and earthworms are best, though some ropefish will eat pellets. |
| Care: | They need a large tank with plenty of hiding places, and a little bit of open space. Frequent water changes are very beneficial to this fish. A sand or fine gravel substrate is best, as this fish spends its time on the bottom. It is preferable that these fish be kept in the company of their own kind, as they can be quite sociable. Potential keepers of this fish must ensure that they have a tight-fitting lid, as the Ropefish may otherwise escape. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 90cm (35.4") Female: 90cm (35.4") |
| Water Region: | Bottom; Bottom |
| Activity: | Nocturnal; These fish are most active at night. |
| Gender: | Males have more bars on their caudal fin than do females. Also, males supposedly have a larger and thicker anal fin. |
| Breeding: | Ropefish have not been sucessfully bred in home aquaria. |
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| Comments: | A peaceful creature that does best in a tank with medium to large sized fish, as smaller tankmates will be eaten. These fish have poor eyesight, and use smell to identify food. Ropefish will sometimes breathe air from the surface, this behavior having evolved in the wild out of necessity. |
| Main Colours: | Brown, Green |
| Markings: | No Markings |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Flat |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | sirbooks |
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