Freshwater
Eastern bottlenose mormyrid
Mormyrus longirostris
Mormyridae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 75 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 8,883 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Congo - Kinshasa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Videos
Elephantnose Fish – Mormyrus longirostris #shorts
Oliver KnottNov 10, 2025
More about the species
Description
Found in caves and muddy areas, also hides among weeds. Favours quiet deep water with a soft muddy bottom. Forms shoals. Feeds on weeds and insects but may also feed on small fishes and fish eggs, blood worms, small crustaceans and mollusks. Active mainly at night; breeds during the rainy season, moving upstream in rivers after flood spates have receded. Migrations appears to occur at irregular interval as this fish is not a powerful swimmer and would not be able to cope with very high water current. Females carry 10,000-70,000 eggs; can give a mild shock when caught.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Mormyros longirostris
- Mormyrus hasselquistii
- Mormyrus mucupe
In other languages
- Eastern bottlenose, Elephant-snout
Articles
All articles
Ich (white spot)4 min read
The most common disease in aquarium fish. How to recognize it, why it shows up, and how to get rid of it.
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.