55 gallon bichir tank, need tips.

[TexasBichir]

Going to be doing a 55 gallon bichir tank like the topic says. It will house one poly. delhezi. It will be planted, etc, so on and so forth.

My main dillema is filtration. What would be a good canister for this setup? Also, would a powerhead be in order for a bichir?

Substrate -- Sand or gravel? I was thinking of doing eco-complete with a laterite bed. Not sure of that yet.

Lighting will be from an Orbit setup of some sort, 2-2.5wpg to start with, more once I get CO2 up.

I will likely have a L90 or maybe a bristlenose for a tankmate for the bichir, a largish pleco that won't attack itself to the bichir is a must if anyone knows of one.

Thanks in advance!

 

[StreetCypher]

My main dillema is filtration. What would be a good canister for this setup? Also, would a powerhead be in order for a bichir?

I use an XP2 on my bichir tank. With just one delhezi that would be plenty. The more you have, the more filtration is required. They appreciate calmer waters, so i wouldn't use a powerhead.

Substrate -- Sand or gravel?

Sand for sure. They spend a lot of time laying around, so it would be easier on their underside. Also, IMO, easier to clean (no cleanup crew needed).

Lighting will be from an Orbit setup of some sort, 2-2.5wpg to start with, more once I get CO2 up.

Not sure exactly what kind of lighting that is, but floating plants will really be appreciated by them (my juve senegal likes to hang out near the surface on the plants). They are nocturnal for the most part (depending on species).

I will likely have a L90 or maybe a bristlenose for a tankmate for the bichir, a largish pleco that won't attack itself to the bichir is a must if anyone knows of one.

Never had a pleco witha bichir, but many don't recommend it due to it sucking the slime coat off. They would also poop a lot (more filtration) and make the sand look really dirty

Most people have bogwood/driftwood in their tanks for cover, but i use PVC pipes. I'm planning on going with just a bare sand bottom and plants so i can actually see them all the time. Either provide many hideouts for them or provide no hideouts to minimize bickering (ahaha) between the bichirs. Oh yeah, make sure you cover any holes and make sure your hood is tight (the wonders of duct tape), they're amazing escape artists. You could easily fit a P. palmas polli in there (well, any of the smaller species). As for diet, i feed them earthworms, bloodworms, shrimp pellets, hikari sinking carnivore pellets and silversides. There are tons of other things to feed them as well. And tankmates, i have a lima shovelnose (cruises midlevel, bichirs don't even notice it) in my bichir tank. I'd stick to just a species specific tank though (anything small enough will be eaten) Great fish. Once you buy one you want more.