Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid (Short-Snouted Elephantfish)

Choose the Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid for a dim, quiet aquarium

The Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid is an African elephantfish, a member of the family Mormyridae, with a short, blunt snout instead of the long, trunk-like chin of the classic elephantnose. Like all mormyrids it is a weakly electric fish: it surrounds itself with a faint electric field and reads the distortions in it to find food, avoid obstacles and recognise other fish in dark, murky water. It is calm, curious and mostly active at dusk and at night.

The family is large. Heiko Bleher's guide to elephantnoses in Practical Fishkeeping counts 21 genera and more than 190 valid species, from fish of a few centimetres to giants over a metre long. "Elephant shortnose" is a trade name, and the scientific name is not given with this fish. In the trade, short-nosed mormyrid names are used mostly for Marcusenius, a genus that Bleher describes as having a short, blunt snout with the mouth at the tip and a fleshy lobe on the chin. This page therefore plans for a Marcusenius-sized fish and uses care advice that applies across the family.

Know the short-snouted mormyrids

FishBase lists Marcusenius senegalensis, a West African species, at 32.1 cm standard length and Marcusenius annamariae at 25.5 cm, so plan for an adult of 25 to 30 cm, not the small fish you receive. Compare it with the classic Elephantnose Fish and the much larger Eastern Bottlenose Mormyrid, browse our loaches and oddballs, the other freshwater fish category or the rare and collector fish range.

Check what you receive

One purchase supplies one live Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid in the standard size we stock. That is a young fish, not an adult. Mormyrids are normally wild-caught imports, so each fish varies a little in shade and shape. The photographs are representative: snout length and shape vary between mormyrid genera, so the fish you receive may differ from the picture in snout shape, colour and pattern.

The sex cannot be chosen. Seriously Fish notes that elephantnoses cannot be sexed by eye; the sexes can be told apart from their electric discharge patterns, which is not practical at home.

Decide between one fish and a group

• One fish: Practical Fishkeeping's Rupert Collins says elephantnoses can be kept singly in a peaceful community.
• A group: at least five, as Seriously Fish advises (Collins says more than five), in a tank of several hundred litres.
• Never two: Seriously Fish warns that in a pair the stronger fish often bullies the weaker one, sometimes to death.

Bleher goes further and says no elephantnose should be kept alone, while Collins accepts a single fish. For a fish that may reach 25 to 30 cm, a single specimen in a calm community is the realistic choice for most home aquariums. Read our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy before ordering.

Plan the aquarium around the adult size

Bleher gives a general minimum of 100 cm length for elephantnose aquariums, "and the bigger the better", and says tanks for any Marcusenius should be at least 100 cm long. Seriously Fish calls a 120 x 45 cm base, about 243 litres, just about acceptable for an elephantnose and says a group needs a larger tank. Collins says a large group needs a roomy tank of several hundred litres. Put together, plan on at least 120 cm for one fish, and considerably more for a group.

Use a three-step space check

Our tank volume calculator works out the real volume of your aquarium, and the stocking calculator helps you keep a calm, lightly stocked community.

Lay soft sand, dim the light and add hiding places

Every source agrees on three things. First, the floor must be soft: Seriously Fish calls a fine sand substrate absolutely critical, and Collins recommends soft silver sand to protect the fish's sensitive skin and snout as it probes for food. Second, the light must be dim: Seriously Fish says elephantnoses withdraw and waste away under bright light. Third, they need plenty of cover. Bleher suggests larger stones, driftwood and leaves, with plants such as Crinum natans, Bolbitis heudelotii and Anubias; Seriously Fish adds java fern and Vallisneria.

Divide the footprint by purpose

Fit a cover. OATA recommends dim lighting and a lid for wild-caught fish so that they do not startle and jump. If your room lights stay on late, use a timer and floating plants to keep the tank shaded.

Keep the water soft to medium and very clean

No water values are published for the short-nosed species themselves; FishBase gives none for Marcusenius, and Bleher gives figures only for triggering spawning. The values below are Seriously Fish's figures for the elephantnose, which come from similar African rivers. What matters most is cleanliness: Seriously Fish says elephantnoses are very sensitive to deteriorating water and notes that they have been used as living water-quality monitors in some German and US municipal water supplies, because their discharge rate rises as pollution increases.

Match your tap water first

Soft to medium UK tap water usually suits after dechlorinating. In a hard-water area, test first and soften with reverse-osmosis water, mixing every water change the same way so the pH and hardness do not swing. Our water chemistry guide explains pH and hardness, and the water matcher checks your readings against this fish.

Filter gently and change water every week

Elephantnoses come from slow-flowing water, according to Seriously Fish, so aim for a filter that keeps the water very clean without blasting the sand. Spread the return flow and keep a calm area near the hiding places. The biological filter must be fully mature before a mormyrid arrives; our guide to the nitrogen cycle explains how to establish it.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH every week, as OATA advises.
2. Change at least 25% of the water, using a siphon over the sand to lift waste and uneaten food.
3. Treat new water with a dechlorinator and match its temperature.
4. Rinse filter media only in tank water when flow drops.
5. Look at the fish after lights-out once a week to check it is feeding and active.

Feed small live and frozen foods every day

Mormyrids have small mouths and weak teeth, and they feed on small invertebrates; FishBase describes Marcusenius annamariae as apparently insect-eating. Bleher lists rotifers, water fleas, copepods, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, white worms, blackworms, daphnia and cyclops, live or frozen, and warns that fish in shops and importers often become thin and die from inadequate food. His advice is blunt: if you cannot offer these foods every day, do not keep elephantnoses. Seriously Fish reports that most elephantnoses accept a range of dried, frozen and live foods, and that worms are a favourite; Collins says they usually prefer live or frozen food and are weak competitors at feeding time.

Build one measured meal

• Live food: live jumbo bloodworms or live red mosquito larvae, a few times a week.
• Frozen food: frozen daphnia or frozen cyclops on the other days.
• Dried food: once it is settled, try a small sinking pellet or granule.
• Timing: feed just after lights-out, when the mormyrid hunts, and drop food near its cave.

Watch the belly. A slim, flat-sided mormyrid is losing out to tank mates or not finding the food. Feed it at lights-out, and remove leftovers next morning so they do not foul the sand.

Introduce it calmly and watch the first week

New mormyrids are nervous and sensitive. OATA's advice for wild-caught fish is to keep lighting dim, to quarantine new arrivals before mixing them with established fish, and to use drip acclimatisation for sensitive species. Seriously Fish warns that elephantnoses are very sensitive to many medications, including salt, and Collins says many chemical treatments can harm them, so prevention matters more than cure.

Use a slow drip

1. Switch off the lights.
2. Pour the fish and its water into a clean container and float or stand it beside the tank so the temperature holds.
3. Run an airline from the tank as a slow siphon, dripping tank water into the container until the volume has roughly doubled.
4. Net the fish into the aquarium, keeping the transport water out.
5. Leave the lights off and offer the first meal of live food after dark the next day.

Our guide to acclimatising new fish covers both the floating-bag and the drip methods.

Choose peaceful, unhurried tank mates

Collins says constant close contact with other fish stresses elephantnoses and that they belong in a peaceful community, because faster, more outgoing fish take the food first. Seriously Fish advises against very active or aggressive species and against other mormyrids, and suggests African butterflyfish, smaller bichirs, Congo tetras, Synodontis, Ctenopoma, eartheaters such as Satanoperca and some Geophagus, and angelfish.

Screen each tank mate

Our tank mates tool checks size and temperament before you buy. Night-active catfish compete for the same food at the same time, so feed them and the mormyrid in different spots.

Read its electric behaviour

Collins explains that mormyrids map their surroundings with more than 2,000 electroreceptor organs, called mormyromasts, and use their electric field to feed, navigate and find mates. Bleher notes that the discharge rate rises sharply when a fish is disturbed and that most species discharge only about one volt, too little to harm you or other fish. Its behaviour therefore tells you a lot about its comfort.

Pair each sign with an action

Answer Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid buying questions

What is an Elephant Shortnose Mormyrid?

It is an African elephantfish (family Mormyridae) with a short, blunt snout instead of the long trunk of the classic elephantnose. The name is a trade name and the species is not given; in the trade, short-nosed mormyrid names are used mostly for Marcusenius species.

How big does it grow?

Plan for 25 to 30 cm. Practical Fishkeeping gives up to 25 cm for a Marcusenius, and FishBase lists Marcusenius species at 25.5 and 32.1 cm standard length. Smaller short-snouted genera stay at 10 to 15 cm.

What size tank does it need?

At least 120 cm long for one fish. Practical Fishkeeping says elephantnose tanks should be at least 100 cm and bigger is better, and Seriously Fish calls 120 x 45 cm only just acceptable for a single elephantnose. A group needs several hundred litres.

Should I keep one or a group?

One fish in a calm community, or a group of five or more in a big tank. Never keep exactly two: Seriously Fish warns that the stronger fish often bullies the weaker one, sometimes to death.

What does it eat?

Small live and frozen foods every day: bloodworm, mosquito larvae, daphnia, cyclops, brine shrimp and small worms. Many will also learn to take a good sinking dried food. Feed at dusk, because mormyrids are mostly active at night.

Is it really electric?

Weakly. It produces a small electric field and senses it with more than 2,000 electroreceptor organs, using it to find food, navigate and communicate in murky water. It cannot harm you or other fish.

Is it suitable for beginners?

No. Practical Fishkeeping describes elephantnoses as fish for experienced aquarists: they are sensitive to poor water and to many medicines, need daily live or frozen food and lose out to faster tank mates.

Can it live with other elephantfish?

Avoid it unless you are keeping a large group of one kind. Seriously Fish advises against mixing elephantnoses with other mormyrids.

Consult the care references

• Practical Fishkeeping: Definitive guide to elephantnoses (Heiko Bleher): Heiko Bleher's genus-by-genus guide to elephantnoses: number of genera and species, snout shapes, sizes of Marcusenius, Petrocephalus, Brienomyrus and Gnathonemus, minimum tank lengths, live foods, night activity, electric discharge, group keeping and decor.
• Practical Fishkeeping: Why are elephantnoses so hard to keep? (Rupert Collins): Rupert Collins on why elephantnoses fail in aquariums: experience needed, live and frozen foods, weak competitors, soft sand, territorial bullying, dim light, hiding places, medication sensitivity, group size and electroreceptors.
• Seriously Fish: Gnathonemus petersii: elephantnose profile used as the family baseline: size, tank footprint, sand substrate, dim light, plants, water values, foods, group of five or more, tank mates, sexing, medication and water-quality sensitivity.
• FishBase: Marcusenius senegalensis: Marcusenius senegalensis: maximum 32.1 cm SL and West African range (Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Chad, Sassandra and Volta basins).
• FishBase: Marcusenius annamariae: Marcusenius annamariae: maximum 25.5 cm SL and an apparently insect-eating diet.
• OATA: How to look after wild-caught freshwater fish: UK trade guidance for wild-caught freshwater fish: quarantine, dim lighting, first foods and drip acclimatisation.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy: current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.