What type of bichir should I get?

[beblondie]

Polypterus ornatipinnis can easily reach 18-24 inches in captivity-Anne

 

[Sean_14145]

Are Bichir's nocturnal

 

[Dwarf Puffers]

hmmm, reading this thread I'm wondering if I could have a Bichir. There's an Ornate Bichir at the LFS, and I'm in LOVE with this fish. I'd never seen one before, and he's just soooooo neat. Super interested in people, comes up to the glass, follows your finger, etc. They've got him in with some wild caught Angels.

Anyway, I figured he'd eat anything that could fit in his mouth, and that his mouth would get pretty big, am I wrong?

I've got a 90 gallon tank that I'm gradually stocking with fish that fall on the mild-moderate aggression end (right now there's just 4 Angels, a bushynose pleco, and 6 glowlights in there - I know glowlights are community, but they're pretty fast, and if they get eaten, well, they're cheap and it's live food for the other fishies I suppose). pH is 7.0, temp is 79F, sand, lots of silk plants, driftwood, and rock. I plan to eventually have some cory fish, a couple of kribensis, and a couple of African Butterfly Fish in the tank also.

Would a Bichir work in my tank?

No. Any bichir could fit a cory in it's mouth, I'd imagine most/all could fit a krib, butterflies would probably make it because of their odd shape, points, and because they live at the top. As Anne said, he could be a third of his potential size. I wouldn't put a 2' fish in a 90g either. JMO,

-DP

 

[beblondie]

GeneralActivity levels
From Most active to Least active:
These tend to be more active during ''lights on''periods and all are about the same activity level however
a list is a list and needs a starting point
P. senegalus
P. palmas polli
P. delhezi
P. palmas palmas
P. palmas buettikoferi
P. retropinnis
These tend to be more active during''lights off'' period
P. e. congicus
P. e. endlicheri
P. Zaire green
P. weeksii
P. lapradei
P. ornatipinnis
there are exceptions as each does tend to have their own''personality''

 

[FtwayneFish]

I have 2 senegals in my 10g below. take a look at the pics. there are really active and I feed small guppies.

 

[captaincaveman9]

I agree with the senagal bichir as being a good choice. They will eat any fish they can fit in their mouth, and they all do try to escape, so a tight lid will be needed

 

[davcheng]

i got a senegal and it ate one of my glow lights the first night. i returned it the next day, but i would've really loved to keep it had i an extra tank! it was only about 3-4 inches.

 

[FishWeirdo]

hmmm, reading this thread I'm wondering if I could have a Bichir. There's an Ornate Bichir at the LFS, and I'm in LOVE with this fish. I'd never seen one before, and he's just soooooo neat. Super interested in people, comes up to the glass, follows your finger, etc. They've got him in with some wild caught Angels.

Anyway, I figured he'd eat anything that could fit in his mouth, and that his mouth would get pretty big, am I wrong?

I've got a 90 gallon tank that I'm gradually stocking with fish that fall on the mild-moderate aggression end (right now there's just 4 Angels, a bushynose pleco, and 6 glowlights in there - I know glowlights are community, but they're pretty fast, and if they get eaten, well, they're cheap and it's live food for the other fishies I suppose). pH is 7.0, temp is 79F, sand, lots of silk plants, driftwood, and rock. I plan to eventually have some cory fish, a couple of kribensis, and a couple of African Butterfly Fish in the tank also.

Would a Bichir work in my tank?

:eek3:Your ornate will be about 8 inches in a year it will swallow your african butterflies, probably your corys and anything smaller. In my humble oppinion the ornate and the dehlzi seem to be the more aggressive of the common bichirs. My ornate who was about 6 1/2. It eat a silver arrowanna of 4 1/2 inches!:angryfire:True story.