One expects blind species of fish from cave systems or the deep sea. But in the rapids of the lower Congo river not less than 5 different species of blind fish exist (among them the only blind species of cichlid of the World, Lamprologus lethops) – and nobody can explain why these fish are blind. One of them is Caecomastacembelus brichardi, which we were able to import once more after many years.
The scientific paper, in which the Blind Spiny Eel is described, is accompanied by a biotope photo. Here one can see large rocks, sometimes protruding from the water, and it is in crevices among these that the Blind Spiny Eel prefers to live.
The species grows to about 15 cm in length (the largest specimen in the type series was 11 cm long); its colour varies from snow-white to a whitish grey, and it prefers a diet of worms and frozen foods. It is important that the food has a strong aroma.
Against conspecifics the fish is completely peaceful. In general, spiny eels are peaceful fish that ignore other species as long as they don´t serve as food.
For our customers: the fish have code 109003 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Caecomastacembelus: Latin, means “blind Mastacembelus”; Mastacembelus is another genus of spiny eel. brichardi: dedication name for Pierre Brichard (1921 – 1990).
Common name: Blind Spiny Eel
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | D.R. Congo |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 10-15 |
