Aba Aba/Gymnarchus Niloticus

Range: Upper Nile through Chad and Niger to Senegal Habits: A predator with an electric potential but generally shy;should be treated like Elephant noses Water Conditions:Soft, slightly acid warm water is preferred.Temperature should be in the mid 20's (°C) Size: Grows to a length of about 150 cm and a weight of more than 12 kilos. Food Requirements:Small live foods including fish.

Aba Aba is a close ally of the elephant -noses (family Mormyridae) and indeed has often been included in that family.The body is similar to some of the mormyrids, but the finnage is entirely different . There are no ventral , anal or caudal fins;instead there is an elongate dorsal fin extending from just behind the head almost to the end of the eel-like body.This fin ,through undulations,propels the fish forward or backward in a precise movements that other fishes cannot emulate with their normal complement of fins.

Aba Aba like the mormyrids ,possesses electric organs in the posterior part if their bodies. The weak electrical discharges set up an electrical field that can be used for navigation in the dark ,murky or silty waters of the native swamps or flood plains at night or to aid in the locating of food. the small eyes apparently are not adequate for these functions.