Gymnerchus niloticus or African Knifefish can grow up to 40 lbs. The fish can grow up to 55in. The so-called African Knifefish has a dual black to gray skin color and has a long tapering body. It has a flat long body, fuller and somewhat cylindrical towards the head but terminates in a thin point at the rear. It is as other fish, cold-blooded, so it has a normal temperature range. One time a reporter put gymnerchus niloticus in a tank with his old fish accidentally and the gymnerchus niloticus fish bit off the other fishes head. This fish could easily bite off someone’s finger if they put it in the tank.

 

They are fairly peaceful when they are young, but as it grows it becomes aggressive and will bite anything that comes near it. It lives in a 500-gallon tank or a biggish pond. It does so well in their habitat because it needs to have space since there size and weight is big for a normal tank. You can find them in Africa, it is found exclusively in swamps and vegetated river edges along the rivers Nile, Niger, Volta, Chad, and Gambia.

 

These fish are sort of rare. You can’t go fishing in a nearby river of the USA and catch one, well you could but the chances are .001: 500,000,000,000, you get the point. The population of the African Knifefish isn’t growing. They are only able to breed in very large aquaria of at least 1000 gallons. They are mouth breeders; the male carries the eggs in his mouth until they hatch.

 

This gymnerchus niloticus is a nocturnal hunter. The African Knifefish has an organ extending the entire length of its body that emits an electrical pulse to help it to hunt. Has very poor eyesight. Can be fed foods such as krill or bloodworms when young, will need to be fed larger meaty foods when adult. the fishes that eat the gymnerchus niloticus has to be much larger.

 

The African Knifefish is considered an aggressive fish because any other fish in with it is endangered of being eaten or injured. This fish is so interesting it has, unlike most in this group; the fin that is used for locomotion is on its back instead of its belly. This is how you can see the difference between it and almost any other fish.

 

Author: Destiny R

Published: 02/2009

 

Sources: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Gymnarchus_niloticus http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93507 http://www.photovault.com/Link/Animals/Aquatic/bFreshwaterFish/FamiliesSpecies/AfricanKnifefish.html http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/Knifefish/AbaKnifefish.php http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/250255/Gymnarchus-niloticus http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=4519 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnarchus_niloticus