Fish-elephant: life in nature and content in the aquarium

Fish-elephant lives in the river Congo and the rivers of Cameroon.This species first came to Europe in 1950, in the USSR - in 1962. The length of the adult reaches 23 centimeters. Body elongated enough, but flattened laterally. The pectoral fins are high, the dorsal fin is moved far back. The fish-elephant has no pelvic fins, as for the color, its color is dark brown. Between the dorsal and anal fin there is a black spot of a rather large size.

Fish-elephant

The fish got its name because of the proboscis located on the lower part of the jaw, the size of which is equal to two centimeters. Proboscis is like a rounded long stem.

The so-called trunk is necessary for the fish,to find food. The life span of this species in the natural environment is an average of eight years. Water "elephants" are difficult to distinguish by gender, the only difference is that females are larger than males. Fishes have an amazing feature, namely thanks to electric fields find a way in the dark. They are also able to distinguish between dead and living beings. The river elephant prefers to swim closer to the bottom. The fish looks like a mine detector.

Aquarium and elephant fish

The maintenance and reproduction of these fishes, as well as manylarge varieties, should occur in an aquarium, the volume of which is more than 120 liters. The aquarium should be tightly closed with glass, otherwise the fish will jump out of it.

"Слоники" не слишком требовательны к химическому composition of water. In order for the fish to feel comfortable, shelters in the form of stone caves, dense thickets, as well as flower pots should be arranged in the aquarium. As for the soil, it should be loose and soft. This is necessary in order that he could settle down after a few minutes of stirring up. As the soil, you can use washed peat chips. Most of the life of the fish-elephant is in motion, only a short time, it can remain in a calm state. This species constantly chases similar to itself fishes, and sometimes pursues without the special purpose large fishes. Underwater elephants do not pay any attention to small individuals. They can be compared with playful elephants who just want to frolic.

The smartest fish

Many connoisseurs of aquatic fauna believe thatelephant fish is the smartest fish. In order to get food for herself, she sinks her head into the silt and, with the help of her trunk, searches for food. When the bloodworm is found in a thick layer of sludge, the moving trunk throws it up. After that, the moth is drawn into the mouth opening, which is located under the trunk. Under natural conditions, the elephant fish sinks into the mud until only the dorsal fin remains visible. On their backs is an organ called the “Electro-Locator”. Thanks to him, the approaching enemy will be seen at a distance of several meters. Many scuba divers prefer to take pictures of fancy fish for memory, among them elephant fish. Her photo adorns many thematic editions.