Trumpet knives and elephants........ well I never!

[Fishman Dave]

I am not quite 50 and have been keeping fish for over 40 years, yet I have never kept trumpet knife fish (Rhamphichthys rostratus) or elephant nose (Gnathonemus petersii)......... until now.
I can’t bare to see a tank standing empty, yet after upgrading my variegated hemibagrus to a larger tank I had a 4ft (180ltr) stood empty other than a layer of sand, some bogwood and a few flat rocks. When I saw two 7” trumpet knife fish at a local fish shop I had to have them.
They were joined almost immediately by three 5” elephant nose which I have never kept as they ever really fit any of my setups, but I felt this was the time to try.
After a week I added four baby hoplo cats and a baby L190 and the tank was up and running as I wanted.

 

[Fishman Dave]

As always happens, things didn’t stay as planned and I had a new addition to add after two weeks ....... a blind 8” silver arrowana that was getting harassed in his six foot tank by six botia which were bought as modesta and turned out not to be. It wasn’t ideal, I know but until I could move the botia this was his home for a few weeks.

 

[Fishman Dave]

2 months down the line (October) and everyone had been getting on great. The knifes and the elephants get on great together, the elephants have plenty of hiding places to get out of each other’s way as three is not ideal, but that’s the most I felt the tank would hold as a grow on. Currently everything is feeding on torn up mussel meat, flake and bloodworm, other than the arrowana which is fed mussels and fish which I have to dangle on his lip barble having first splashed the tank like a distressed insect.

 

[Fishman Dave]

I have now (November) managed to move the arrawana (@11-12”) back to his six foot tank ( will do a thread on that separately) and have moved five clown plecs in to the tank in his place.
Whilst the elephant nose are happy toswim round with the lights on ( there is cover from duck weed and Indian fern),theknives are happy just laying in the java fern or on their sides on the bottom under a rock. But when the lights dim or go out they are sooooo active!!

 

[Magnus_Bane]

Love the hoplo cat ya got there. Been thinking of getting a couple for my cichlid tanks to help with food leftovers. Any idea if they're tough enough to live with a 8.5-9in flowerhorn? Lol this flowerhorn makes it so hard to find a good bottom feeder for the tank.

 

[fishhead0103666]

I almost got a few albinos Hoplos but now seeing them grown up I made the right decision.

Do you have the scientific name of the elephant nose?

 

[Iamfish]

Awesome pickups, Knives are defiantly a bucket list fish for me. Looking forward to seeing how yours do.

 

[Gunfleet]

In my experience Hoplo cats aren't as tough or durable as other SA cats. If you have a scrappy Flowerhorn that needs a janitor or two, try any of the Rafael cats (spotted, striped, , etc).

 

[Fishman Dave]

Do you have the scientific name of the elephant nose?

First post, Gnathonemus petersii I believe.

 

[kno4te]

How deep a substrate are u keeping for the trumpet knives?