Elephant Nose Tropical Fish Information

Elephant Nose Tropical Fish Learn all about the Elephant Nose's feeding habits and food types, its behaviour, its origins, its natural habitats, is it male or female, breeding advice and information, suitable tank mates, its sizing and growth range, minimum tank size, water PH and more. Use our fish community creator tool to plan your tank set up and ensure that the Elephant Nose is the right fish for your aquarium.

The Elephant Nose is often seen for sale, and purchased due to its unusual appearance and activity. This fish however, is not for beginners, and should not be purchased unless you know exactly how to keep the fish properly. An interesting feature of these fish is their possession of electroreceptors covering the head, dorsal, and ventral areas. The fish uses electrical discharges to find food, communicate with other fish of a similar type, and for breeding purposes. Elephant Nose's are also excellent hearers, and are very sensitive to noise and vibrations. The fish are naturally nocturnal, and requires dark hiding spots in the aquarium. Because of their very sensitive 'noses', it is vital that the aquarium contains only a sandy bottom, since gravel substrates will damage the fish, leading to infections.

Elephant Noses are shoaling fish that need to be kept in groups of 6+. However, a group needs a lot of personal space, and most aquaria are simply not large enough. They are therefore only suitable for the largest home aquaria.” Minimum tank size for a successful group is about 240 x 120cms. 

It is not wise to keep pairs or smaller groups, as the fish are likely to bully weaker individuals. Given the fishes demanding requirements, and because they are nocturnal, the initial 'novelty factor' will wear off, we would suggest that the fish is avoided for home aquariums. This is a species for expert fishkeepers only

This fish is excluded from the Compatibility Checker as it is unsuitable for community aquariums or may require expert care.