Help Elephant Nose

[catfish00]

is my elephant nose okay at the top and bottom he is white

 

[nmonks]

When stressed elephantnoses may become paler than usual. However, this is different from when they are sick, in which case excess mucous and/or dead skin can turn their bodies a dirty-white colour, usually in patches. Healthy elephantnoses should be active by night, and during the day, resting within their cave. While resting, they should have stiff bodies, and typically flap their front fins about almost like paddles. When food is offered, they should show interest. A well fed specimen will have a distinctly rounded belly. Look at the area around the anal fins. If the belly is hollow, then this is a very bad sign.

As I said earlier, most specimens die in captivity. They are not easy to keep. At university, we maintained ours one to a tank, no lighting, and with a powerful sponge filter to keep the water clean. The substrate was plain sand. Gravel has a tendency to scratch their "noses", allowing bacterial infections to develop. Although they are not fish for beginners, they are adaptable, and if given the right conditions, as outlined here, most people could keep them without much bother. The problems arise when elephantnoses are thrown into community tanks, where they rarely do well.

Cheers, Neale

is my elephant nose okay at the top and bottom he is white