Origin: The ancestors of this Mono. Sebae originally lived along the tropical west coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.

The adults swim far up into rapidly flowing rivers to spawn. Many of the young are trapped as they swim back down stream to the ocean and end up in aquariums throughout most of the world.

Maximum Size: In aquariums they can grow to be about 12" long and 24" tall, which is very large for most home aquariums.

So if you get one and take very good care of it with excellent water and premium foods, it will almost surely outgrow your aquarium, so you might need an upgrade in tank size somewhere down the line.

Behaviors: This is a very active swimmer that are amazingly mild tempered and not aggressive.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, other Brackish water fish such as Archer Fish, and Mono. Argenteus.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Mono. Sebae can live pretty well from about 70 to 80-degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 75 to 78-degrees F.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet Food when larger. Some vegetable should also be included in their diet like peas or lettuce.

Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.

Water Conditions: Mono. Sebae seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions.

Probably a pH of about 7.8 with moderate hardness is best, when they are young.

Most water in the US seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water. As they get older they need proportionately more marine salts in their water.

Eventually they need to live in marine water like the water in the Pacific Ocean, where their parents lived as adults.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. They keep them in total fresh water in our tanks and ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: When young and less than 3" long, it's probably best to house one in at least a 30-gallon tank, but bigger is better.

They'll soon need 50 to 60-gallon aquarium. Then an aquarium with 100-gallons, 150-gallons, 200, 300, and maybe bigger.

Decor: Mono. Sebae do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, but Mono. Sebae constantly need more marine salts in their water, and those salts will soon kill the freshwater plants. Click here for more about live Aquarium Plants.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.

A Penguin 200 Filter in an aquarium with 30-gallons of water is OK, when they're small, but a Penguin 350 Filter is the right size for a 30 to 50-gallon aquarium.

When Mono. Sebae grow to be 6" long they'll need to live in an aquarium with at least 75-gallons of water and have a couple of Penguin 350B filters along the back edge of that aquarium.

The bigger aquariums will need proportionately more Penguins.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Mono. Sebae live for many years with excellent water and premium food.

Gender: It's not easy to tell the males from the females, when they're young and sometimes, even as they mature.

As females mature they often fill with eggs and become plumper, which may be a clue to their gender.

Breeding: Apparently there are reports of observations of this fish breeding in the wild. There is also a report by us of Mr. Wey breeding them.

Click here to read more about that.

Popularity: In spite of the comments above about their eventual size, Mono. Sebae have been popular for many years.

We like to tell our customers what we know about each type of fish, then let each customer decide which fish to buy as pets.

Names: The scientific name of the Mono. Sebae is Monodactylus sebae.

Variations: There is another variation called the Mono. Argenteus.

Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Mono. Sebae, including a picture gallery.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.