Papyrocranus Afer - pom pom knife, reticulated knife, aro knife, blah blah blah

lix.ma14

Hydrolycus Armatus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2011
7,181
20
92
Ontario, Canada
Holy a new rare/cool fish discovery!!! I want one too now!! How big do they grow??
 

TheRussian

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 17, 2010
321
0
0
Long Island
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Papyroranus afer juvenile
© JJPhoto
Family
Notopteridae


Distribution
Widespread over much of western and central Africa. It's been recorded from Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Gambia and Senegal. It occurs in a number of river systems over this range, including the Niger, Cross, Sanaga, Tano and Prah.


Habitat
It's usually found in heavily vegetated, slow moving parts of rivers and sluggish backwaters.


Maximum Standard Length
32" (80cm), although unlikely to achive more than 24" in captivity.


Minimum Tank Size
84" x 36" x 36" (210x90x90cm) - 1700 litres for a fully grown specimen. Juveniles can be grown on in smaller aquaria.


Tank Setup
A dimly lit tank with areas of dense planting, pieces of driftwood and twisted roots is ideal for this species. Water movement should be minimal.


Temperature
75-82°C (24-28°C)


pH Range
6.5-7.5


Hardness
5-15 dH


Diet
X. nigri is primarily carnivorous and will accept most meaty live and frozen foods. Some specimens will also accept pelleted varieties. We suggest a varied diet including lance fish, prawns, chopped mussel, earthworms, carnivore pellets etc.


Compatibility
An aggressive species that should only be kept with very robust species. It can be kept in a group when young, but as it matures it becomes increasingly territorial, particularly towards other knifefish but also towards any fish it takes a disliking to. While there are reports of it coexisting peacefully with other large fish such as arowana there are at least as many of it attacking the same species in other aquaria. We recommend that it is kept as a single specimen in its own tank or perhaps with a large loricariid such as Acanthicus adonis for company.


Sexual Dimorphism
Unknown.


Breeding
Not reported in captivity.


Notes
Like other members of the family Notopteridae this species differs from Gymnotiform knifefish in that its anal and caudal fins are fused together into one long, undulating fin running along the underside of the fish. There is only one other species in the genus. P. congoensis is a smaller, plain brown coloured fish found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is very rare in the hobby.
Papyrocranus aferis also infrequently imported and is one of the rarer knifefish species in the hobby. It can develop into a stunningly patterned fish when adult, but due to its potential size and aggressive nature is recommended only to the experienced fishkeeper.


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krichardson

Bronze Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jun 19, 2006
27,561
14,449
480
Datnoid Island
This is my favorite of all of the knife fish but it does not seem to have much of a following in MFKdom.I think it looks better than the clown knife and it is nastier....
 
sold out in an hour...and everyone I talk to says they don't get them in because they don't sell...wtf I think they are bad ass and hear all kinds of cool/crazy **** about them. I think it was king el that said he had a group of three or four around 8" long that would gang up on his 26" clown knife and beat on him...not that I am condoning gang violence. I may have a lead. google Segrest farms. They are a big distributor and am told that they have them. They ship everywhere so maybe we can get them through a local fish store (Thanks Jessica)
 

P.afer

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 16, 2008
8
0
0
California
I have one that I was told it was 12 years old when I got it and I think I have had it for 2 or 3 years now. It has large gold spots and have not found a picture as nice as mine. I do need to take some better pictures.IMG_0459.JPG

IMG_0459.JPG
 

fugupuff

M.A.N. Community Vendor
Community Vendor
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2005
4,405
1,866
2,179
Fish Heaven
ok, so how many do you guys want? do a headacount of how many I can sell and I'll get you guys some, and when it comes, do not tell me that you have no space, or want something different. I can get them.
 
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