Reedfish
Erpetoichthys calabaricus
No photo yet
The reedfish from Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon is the only member of its genus, a relative of the bichirs. It has a long, snake-like body and lungs, which let it live in oxygen-poor water. It lives among reeds and dense plants and eats worms, crustaceans and insects at night. It reaches about 37 centimetres — the 90 centimetres quoted in many sources is an error. The larvae have external gills, like salamander larvae.
- Scientific name
- Erpetoichthys calabaricus
- Family
- Polypteridae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Polypteridae
- Order
- Polypteriformes
- Synonyms
- Calamichthys calabarica, Calamichthys calabaricus, Calamoichthys calabaricus, Calanichthys calabaricus, Erpetoichthys calabaris, Erpetoichthys robbianus, Herpetoichthys calabaricus, Polypterus erpetoideus
Origin
- Native region
- África
Water
- Temperature
- 23–30 °C
- pH
- 6–7.5
- General hardness (GH)
- 5–20 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 37 cm
- Lifespan
- 20 years
- Minimum tank (volume)
- 540 L
- Minimum tank (length)
- 150 cm
Behavior
- Swimming level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Carnivore
Care
- Care difficulty
- Moderate
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Egg scatterer
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Near threatened (NT)
Spotted wrong data on this page? Let us know