Elephant Nose Fish

They go by a number of additional common names, but the most popular are the Long-Nosed Elephant Fish, Ubangi mormyrid, Elephant Fish, and Peters’ Elephant Nose Fish (named after the individual who discovered them).

These fish can be found in a multitude of rivers in Africa, but the most largest are the Niger River, Chari River, and Ogun River.

These waters are usually quite murky with low visibility. This is partly caused by the riverbed and debris that collect in the rivers, but also due to the very mild current they have.

The average lifespan of the Elephant Nose Fish is between 6 and 10 years. These fish can flourish and stick around for quite a while if you take care of them!

We’ve spoken to a couple owners whose fish are starting to push the 10-year mark (one has an 11-year-old at the time of writing this). The thing they both have in common is a relentless commitment to providing a great habitat and top-notch water quality.

The typical maximum size of an Elephant Nose Fish is around 9 inches in length. There have been reported instances where this species has exceeded this number by 2-3 inches, but that’s very uncommon.

Elephant Nose Care is not terribly difficult if you know what you’re doing, but it’s not a species you can keep on autopilot either. The reason for this is they’re relatively sensitive to suboptimal habitat conditions.

Water quality, parameters, lighting, temperature, you name it. If it’s not in their ideal window their health will quickly suffer.

That means if you’re someone who’s just getting started and isn’t comfortable maintaining a highly stable, reasonably-sized tank then it might be a good idea to hold off for now. You don’t have to be an expert to provide excellent care to your Elephant Nose Fish, they’re not very beginner-friendly.

The recommended Elephant Nose Fish tank size is 50 gallons. This is assuming you have only one of these fish in your aquarium.

We’ve seen some resources online say that a tank slightly smaller than 50 gallons is fine, but we urge you to aim for 50. These are relatively large fish and any extra space you can give them will be greatly appreciated. It will also help reduce the likelihood of aggressive behavior.

Water parameters are the area you’ll be paying the most attention to when it comes to Elephant Nose Fish care. These fish can be very sensitive to water conditions and parameters that don’t meet their baseline requirements and suffer serious health complications as a result.

Your job as an owner will be to maintain great water quality and keep the parameters we’ve listed below stable and consistent.

• Water temperature: 73°F to 82°F (the middle of this range is ideal)
• pH levels: 6.5 to 7.2 (6.9 is a good target)
• Water hardness: 0-10 KH

Elephant Nose Fish are carnivorous and eat a wide variety of meaty, protein-rich foods. In the wild, this usually means various insects and larvae, and you’ll be replicating this rather closely in captivity as well.

Bloodworms and brine shrimp seem to be their favorites, but you have other options as well. Mixing in some chopped up earthworms, tubifex, and larvae is a good idea as well.

Not only are these foods in their normal diet, but they also provide a good source of enrichment. Elephant Nose Shrimp seem to get a lot of enjoyment out of eating these foods and will even eat out of your hand if you train them!