Greater siren (maybe?) help

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Klucas

Feeder Fish
Jan 25, 2022
3
1
3
30
7755309D-FD31-4096-81DA-474083D4753C.jpgE30AEF11-BA03-444C-BD8A-35461A7CB101.jpeg

He was a local fish store find, the tank he was in had many aggressive fish and he was missing parts of limbs and gills, so I bought him. He was listed as a greater siren but as seen above has 4 limbs, not two. I thought he may be an Amphiuma (because limbs) but the body shape does not match any that I have seen. He may have had toes, but as stated local fish store had him in a tank that his gills and limbs became dinner. My plan is to convert my spare 125 gallon tank to a suitable home for him, once he is correctly identified. Can anyone help?

39CD758C-C2E6-41FF-B9DA-B644BC63C574.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 7755309D-FD31-4096-81DA-474083D4753C.jpg
    7755309D-FD31-4096-81DA-474083D4753C.jpg
    55.4 KB · Views: 74
  • E30AEF11-BA03-444C-BD8A-35461A7CB101.jpeg
    E30AEF11-BA03-444C-BD8A-35461A7CB101.jpeg
    90.1 KB · Views: 72
Thanks for the help guys. I thought he was a siren when purchasing, it's what was labeled on the tank (their mistake, or mine, who knows), but he wouldn't move from hiding in the tank until once in the bag. Once I looked at him in my aquarium out of his packaging I had no idea where to begin.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlindsey
For sure an African lungfish Protopterus annectens I believe. They do get big but a 125 will last him many years they’re a very inactive fish that lives in puddles in the wild.

because I don’t get to talk about them very much here’s two Lesser sirens I caught earlier this year.

794CAA6E-9C02-41DD-ACC0-B308CF5D90BC.jpeg

A0C7F2CB-3B8C-448D-B61A-92E58CC7BFD1.jpeg
 
Hard to tell with many similarities between African Protopterus annectens, and South American Lepidosiren paradoxa. Lepidosiren would make sense why tank was labeled “siren” and why he was tank mates with many South American cichlids.
 
No doubt in my mind that it’s an African species. The face shape is pretty different between them. Annectens are by far the most common species in the trade as well.

Heres some good pics of South American lungs. I’m actually picking one up this weekend.897F39C2-21E2-4868-8E76-0667613CD114.jpeg

4D699DEB-B369-47BD-8C80-61A319015826.jpeg
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com