Mudfish?

[the_evil_duboisi]

I went to my favorite Internet fish website, and came across this;

It was called a "mudfish", and is wild from Africa. But apart from that, no into except the picture,

Can somebody please tell me what it is? And if you know, some tips on keeping it, food, temperment, etc?

 

[beblondie]

African mudfish-Phractolaemus ansorgei

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Any info on care?

 

[Straydum]

try googling? or wait until some expert comes by here

 

[severum boy]

Ive not seen these for sale myself, but I would snap them up as they dont come round very often!
There scientific name, as beblondie pointed out, is Phractolaemus ansorgei from the family Phractolaemidae, Order Gonorhynchiformes. P. ansorgei has a lunglike swimbladder allowing it to breath atmospheric air, but it has a small mouth so it cannot eat small fish (they would have to be quite small for it to eat them). It does like to dig so needs to be kept in a tank with a sand substrate and densley planted for security. Minimum tank size is about 80x30x30cm. It gets to 15cm and it is peaceful. They eat live foods of most kinds, frozen bloodworm and other small frozen foods. Some will eat prepared foods, but this may take a little time and patience (like african butterfly fish). They are hardy, and are happy with a pH of 6-8 and a high GH.
Which is the internet site btw?

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Korean site.....Sorry

I'll see if I can get some(Have a 30 galllon handy!) and ask what they feed it.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Hey, how active are they? As much as a polypterus, or more or less And how about water movement? Can it be a bit strong(Flow)??
Because I can't set up the 30 right now, and as you pointed out, it would be snapped up soon, so I was wondering.

Maybe if I set up the 30 gallon I was thinking along these lines....

Densely planted with hortwort or anacharis
Normal colored but small sized aquarium gravel(Not quite sand)
3 chunks O' wood

Fish
1 rainbow snakehead
1 ctenopoma
1 mudfish

Or if the mudfish proves to be active
1 mudfish
A school of schoolers(Thinking Congo tetras or dwarf rainbowfish)

OK? Or not?

 

[severum boy]

Hey, how active are they? As much as a polypterus, or more or less And how about water movement? Can it be a bit strong(Flow)??
Because I can't set up the 30 right now, and as you pointed out, it would be snapped up soon, so I was wondering.
Densely planted with hortwort or anacharis
Normal colored but small sized aquarium gravel(Not quite sand)
3 chunks O' wood
Fish
1 rainbow snakehead
1 ctenopoma
1 mudfish
Or if the mudfish proves to be active
1 mudfish
A school of schoolers(Thinking Congo tetras or dwarf rainbowfish)
OK? Or not?

Im not sure how active they are, probably as active as Polypterus. Id think they could take a strong flow as long as there were plases where the current slowed so they could rest if needs be. I would have the rainbow snakehead, along with 4 mudfish and some shoalers, eg Congo tetras or some 4" barbs. Dwarf rainbows are a little small, so I would go for some larger species if you wanted rainbows, which i would strongly reccomend. Stick with the plants in your selection, but maby add a floating plant. Which Ctenopoma were you thinking of?

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

The one that starts with an a: The leopard ctenopoma.

And the reason why I'm only planning on 1 mudfish.....To me they're still expensive, and I don't know whether if I can keep them right,

 

[severum boy]

Leopards do like groups, so unless you can cater for 4 of them I would not recomend them.
How much are the mudfish? If you can only afford one then I would not bother with them. They are as I have already said, quite hardy.