Elephantnose fish
Gnathonemus petersii
- Tank length
- 150 cmabout 5 ft (59 in)
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C72–82 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Adult size
- 22 cm9 in
- Lifespan
- 6–10 yrs
Nocturnal, shy and squabbles with its own kind; needs soft sand, caves, dim light and frozen invertebrate foods.Nocturnal, shy and squabbles with its own kind; needs soft sand, caves, dim light and frozen invertebrate foods.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Elephantnose fishAlligator gar may eat Elephantnose fish
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Elephantnose fishArapaima may eat Elephantnose fish
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Elephantnose fishBullseye snakehead may eat Elephantnose fish
- Channel catfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Cuban gar
Cuban gar may eat Elephantnose fishCuban gar may eat Elephantnose fish
- Dourada
Dourada may eat Elephantnose fishDourada may eat Elephantnose fish
- Indonesian snakehead
Indonesian snakehead may eat Elephantnose fishIndonesian snakehead may eat Elephantnose fish
Iridescent sharkIridescent shark may eat Elephantnose fishIridescent shark may eat Elephantnose fish
- Longnose gar
Longnose gar may eat Elephantnose fishLongnose gar may eat Elephantnose fish
- Paroon shark
Paroon shark may eat Elephantnose fishParoon shark may eat Elephantnose fish
- Piraiba
Piraiba may eat Elephantnose fishPiraiba may eat Elephantnose fish
- Redtail catfish
Redtail catfish may eat Elephantnose fishRedtail catfish may eat Elephantnose fish
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 22–28 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 5–19 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | West and Central Africa, Niger to Congo basins | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | advanced | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | semi aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | carnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 6–10 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 150 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |