Myths about the Elephant Nose

Lilo: keep in mind, thats only his POINT OF VIEW. he is interested in PREDATOR FISH, so, for him, the elephant nose is boring. However, I dont see anying boring about their behavior. Perhaps he just likes to watch the predator fish eat the prey and watch their hunting talents... Of course ROMANS watched poeple killing other people and thought that was fun. IN our times, they would think our entertainment is boring. Its his POV.
 
Re: elephantnoses and salt

While I agree with most of what JamisonBWolsh has writen about elephantnoses (mormyrids), I disagree with his statement that they can't tolerate salt. I add 1 tablespoon of Doc Wellfish's aquarium salt to each five gallons of water without incident. In my hands at least, I have also found that Coppersafe is a safe medication to use in a tank with elephantnoses. My collection of mormyrids includes 1 Gnathonemus petersi, 8 individuals of 5 different species from the genus Campylomormyrus, and a baby whale from the genus Brienomyrus.
 
It is possible that different breeds of this species are more tolerant than others of harsh water conditions. My mother's dolphin can't stand any meds in the water or salt, it causes severe peeling, like a sunburn. Even the ones for scaleless breeds will do this if given full strength.

BTW, Sumatra, welcome to AC. Wow, how big is your tank? Those fish all get massive! You must have a lot of space....the particular breed my mother has requires at least 50 gallons and he's not fully grown yet....
 
I agree Sumatra. Your tank must be nice! Love to see some of your pics of your tank? How do you have it decorated? I was looking at some of the different elephant noses, and I must say I like the common one the best (peterisi..I believe). They actually have a gold color variety (not albino) looks nice! Black with a gold tint :) NIce... anyway...welcome to our club and PLEASE POST some pics
 
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Originally posted by JamisonBWolsh
Lilo: keep in mind, thats only his POINT OF VIEW. he is interested in PREDATOR FISH, so, for him, the elephant nose is boring.

Wolsh...don't get me wrong. I think elephant noses are very interesting. I'm sorry, it seems I was about to hijack your thread. I was just asking his experiences with the juripari. Sorry, not intended to hijack.

Personally, I think elephant noses are cool. Would like to get one or two someday.
 
I thought there is only one Gnathonemus in the world?

JamisonBWolsh-you almost sound fanatical about this fish,they can tolerate salt,they hide until they get used to the surroundings,would you want it to live in high nitrates,better safe than sorry,feeding them bloodworms on a daily basis use alot of money,its electrical field will interupt other electrical fish electric field so it is shocking to some fish,you said your dad's lived for 25 or 26 years,then you said it lived for 30 years.

There are many scaless fish treated or lived in water with salt in it,why would an elephantnose be an exception?I've notice their behavior,they don't swim much.
 
That didnt make much sense? Anyway..my dads elephant nose lived 25 or 26 years. THEY DO NOT TOLERATE ANY ADDED SALT!

here is a pic of the gold kind:

http://www.hippocampus-bildarchiv.de/html/en/zierfische/elefantenfische/elefantenfische/a34101.html

I NEVER fed mine bloodworms (they like it though). I feed mine frozen brine shrimp which he/she devours like its going out of style!

Ps.. They dont shock fish!

Check the gold tint on them..WOW!!!

Am I fanatical? YES..they are a fish that was once WORSHIPPED!
They are intelligent.
They live LONG LIVES.
 
Not necessarily just because they are scaleless....they seem to have pretty sensitive skin, even for a scaleless. Treatments that a catfish would just shrug off can kill a mormyrid. Also, their personality takes a while to develop; they take their time before they come "out of their shell". Plus, they are nocturnal, so most of their movement occurs when you're not looking....

As far as fanatacism goes, the same can be said about a lot of people who keep cichlids, piranah, guppies, pit bulls, persian cats, macaws...the list is endless. I think he has a great love for the breed is all.
 
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