Scarlet Badis
Dario dario
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 2 cm
- Minimum tank
- 40 litres
- Temperature
- 18–26 °C
Species profile
Reedfish
Erpetoichthys calabaricus
Common names: Reedfish, Ropefish, Reed
Recognized speciesOddballs
Adult size
Up to 90 cm
Up to 90 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A keeper with room for a large aquarium
- A dedicated tank built around this one fish
Think carefully if
- You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
- You cannot provide about 540 litres for a fully grown fish
- You keep shrimp you want to protect
A long, snake-like fish, also called the Ropefish, that breathes air and hunts by smell. Keep alone or in a small group in 540 litres or more.
Appearance and Identification
A long, snake-like fish, also called the Ropefish, that breathes air and hunts by smell. It is peaceful with fish too big to swallow, but it escapes through any gap, so the lid must be very secure.
Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.
Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 2,160–2,700 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 550–800 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 540 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 150 cm
- Minimum group size
- 1
- Recommended group size
- 1
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low to moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Moderate
Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.
Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.
Many are intolerant of their own kind.
It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp.
Water Parameters
Fairly tolerant of different water, if it is clean and stable.
Parameter caveat
Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
- Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
- EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.
A nocturnal predator that eats worms and small invertebrates. Offer bloodworm, earthworms and frozen shrimp.
Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.
Breeding
- Breeding difficulty
- Not commonly bred
- Parental care
- Unknown
Not commonly bred in aquariums, and little has been recorded about how it spawns.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria
- Natural habitat
- River
- Aquarium contexts
- Large Freshwater Aquarium, Planted Aquarium, Species-Only Aquarium
- Audience level
- Specialist
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Erpetoichthys
- Family
- Polypteridae
- Species group
- Fish, Oddballs
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Siamese Tigerfish
Datnioides microlepis
- Care level
- Specialist
- Adult size
- 50 cm
- Minimum tank
- 1350 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
Silver Dollar
Metynnis argenteus
- Care level
- Advanced
- Adult size
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 260 litres
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
Six Banded Distichodus
Distichodus sexfasciatus
- Care level
- Specialist
- Adult size
- 75 cm
- Minimum tank
- 1944 litres
- Temperature
- 22–26 °C