Long-nose Distichodus Care Guide
Distichodus lusosso is a large, long-snouted herbivorous fish from the Congo River basin that grows too large and plant-destructive for most aquariums.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Distichodus lusosso, the longsnout distichodus, is a large African fish described by Schilthuis in 1891. It has an orange to reddish body with 6 to 8 vertical dark bars on the flanks and a distinctively elongated snout. It resembles the related Distichodus sexfasciatus.
Taxonomy
- Family: Distichodontidae
- Genus: Distichodus
- Scientific name: Distichodus lusosso Schilthuis, 1891
Habitat
According to FishBase, Distichodus lusosso is found throughout the Congo River basin in Africa, from the lower Congo to the upper Lualaba, but is absent from the Luapula-Moero system. It is a freshwater, pelagic species of tropical waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 800 L (about 211 gal)
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 6-7.8
- GH: 5-18 °dGH
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
- Water flow: moderate
Diet
Distichodus lusosso is herbivorous and will readily consume aquarium plants. It should be fed a vegetable-based diet twice daily. Because of its plant-eating habits, it is not suitable for planted aquariums.
Compatibility
This is a large, semi-aggressive, mid-water fish. Owing to its eventual size it requires very spacious quarters and is best kept with robust companions such as large cichlids. Small fish and live plants should be avoided.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed in 2009 (FishBase).
Long-nose Distichodus Breeding Guide
Overview
Distichodus lusosso is a large characin distributed widely across the Congo River basin, from the lower Congo to the upper Lualaba, where it inhabits large rivers. FishBase lists a maximum length of about 38 cm TL. The species is treated as an egg-scatterer, but its reproduction in aquaria has not been documented.
Sexing
Sexual dimorphism is reported as unknown by Seriously Fish, and FishBase provides no maturity data. No reliable external sexing method is described.
Conditioning
The species is omnivorous and accepts most foods, but it requires vegetable matter such as frozen peas, Spirulina flake and blanched spinach alongside live or frozen items like earthworms and crustaceans. Documented water values are 22-26 C and pH 6.5-7.5 with hardness 2-20 dH (Seriously Fish). No spawning-specific conditioning regime is recorded.
Common Challenges
Obstacles include the adult size, the species' sometimes spiteful temperament with maturity, and the absence of any documented spawning trigger, egg data or fry-rearing protocol in aquaria.