There are about 200 species of Mormyridae (Elephantfishes) in Africa. Some of them belong to the most important freshwater fish species of the continent, due to their abundance and good taste. In the aquarium hobby, on the other hand, mormyrids are only rarely seen. All mormyrids belong to the weakly electrical fishes and communicate on the basis of electric impulses. Many species cannot be distinguished from each other by external features, but only by their “language”.
One of the species that can be recognized quite easily is Brienomyrus niger, which we have imported once more from Nigeria. The species becomes about 15 cm long. It shows all the fascinating features that make mormyrids so unique in the world of fishes, like the mentioned “electrical language”, their strong play instinct and their – compared with other fishes – high grade of intelligence. Like parrots, mormyrids have a strong developed cerebellum.
Sadly these fish are quite quarrelsome when kept in aquaria. So the tank should contain lots of hiding places and must be spacyious. PVC-tubes are ideal for furnishing, for they can be used not only as hiding places, but are also a perfect protection against “electro-smog” from the neighbour. The fish are fed best with bloodworm (live and frozen) and Tubifex.
Brienomyrus niger are undemanding regarding water parameters. They belong to the few species of mormyrids that have an accessory respiration organ, eg they can also use also atmospheric air for breathing. The sexes are not easy to tell apart. The females have a deeper body than the males. Other external sexual differences are unknown for this species.
For our customers: the fish have code 103604 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Nigeria |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 7-9 |
