West African Lungfish
Protopterus annectens
(Owen, 1839)
What are they and how big do they get?
West African lungfish originate from South and West Africa.
They're an ancient fish that is believed to have existed for over 400 million years and should attain a size of around 39 in (100 cm).
They're also known as Tana lungfish and belong to the family Protopteridae, the African lungfishes.
Their natural habitats are freshwater backwaters, rivers, and swamps.
What temperature can they be kept at?
West African lungfish are tropical and can be maintained at a temperature of around 24-30 °C (75-86 °F).
How many should be kept together?
Due to their territorial and solitary nature, they are best maintained alone.
Water parameters?
African lungfish are hardy and can acclimatise to a wide range of conditions and parameters.
What do they eat in captivity and how often should they be fed?
Being an omnivore, a diet should include meaty and vegetable items.
West African lungfish readily accept good-quality cichlid, catfish, pellet, and algae wafers. Meaty items such as whitebait and mussels are also eagerly accepted.
Feed several times a week.
Which tankmates are recommended?
None.
Some aquarists report success when housing them with tankmates in a monster-sized aquarium, whereas other aquarists have reported total carnage!
To ensure that such risks are avoided, we recommend keeping West African lungfish in a species-specific aquarium.
The aquarium?
The aquarium must be spacious and voluminous.
West African lungfish have the potential to attain over a metre in length. They demand a monster-sized aquarium (or tropical pond)!
Protopterus spp. are obligate air-breathers, meaning that they must periodically breathe air from the water's surface to survive. Therefore, it is imperative that there's a gap left between the surface of the water and the lid of the aquarium to allow for breathing. If denied access, they'll drown.
Will they breed in captivity?
To our knowledge, there are no reports of captive breeding.
Other notes
The West African lungfish has the ability to aestivate. Aestivation is similar to hibernation, but instead of taking place during winter, it takes place during the dry season.
To begin aestivation, it burrows into drying mud and releases copious amounts of mucus to form a cocoon around itself. Once cocooned, its metabolism drastically slows, and it enters a state of dormancy, which can last for years. Dormancy remains until the arrival of the wet season. Rainfall triggers the fish to emerge from its cocoon and resume its active stage of life.
Conclusion
The acquisition of a West African lungfish needs careful consideration. Although they're very impressive, they're reported to live for decades.
If you're happy to dedicate an aquarium to a long-lived single fish, we believe that you'll struggle to find a more impressive oddball than this!