Senegal Bichir... Dinasour Bichir? |
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 Apr 12 2008, 03:53 AM
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#21
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 Fishaholic  Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927  |
lol watch me be a good fish keeper and be one of those ppl that keeps them for thirty.
  oh and now im thinking im just gona set them up in the 55 gallon to begin with and leave the 10 as a litle comunity tank kinda like it is now.
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Apr 12 2008, 02:03 PM
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#22
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resistance is futile......  Group: Newsletter Team Posts: 2139 Joined: 5-April 06 From: UK Member No.: 20388 |
QUOTE (Starfishpower @ Apr 12 2008, 12:09 AM)  and by the way.... just how short lived are killifish? Some species of killifish only live about a year in the wild, something to do with their natural habitat drying up at a certain time of year or something. In aquaria these fish can go up to about 18 months though, and not all killifish are like this. |
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Apr 12 2008, 08:12 PM
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#23
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927 |
huh, ok. that is short lived. poor things. well iv pretty much decided this is the fish i want and iv even drawn up an "artists rendering" of what i want the tank to look like. i plan on putting them straight into the 55 gallon so it can be their final home. im not going to decorate it very much at first to assure that they have plenty of open space to find their food and not have to hunt for it so much, that and im on a budget and cant spend the money to turn a 55 into a lush planted tank overnight
im reaserching certain speices of rainbow fish to put in there with them. any suggestions on them casue iv never really done much of any reading on them ever until today. they loook like good fish though.
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Apr 14 2008, 06:31 AM
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#24
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927 |
ok i need to know about how to tell the genders apart and in what ratios to buy them in respects to this. i know the index profile says males have a "large pocket like anal fin" but i dont know what that means. iv examined all the pics of them on here that i can find and they all look the same to me. please help me out here and is there a certain system to mixing the 2 genders in an aquarium? like should i have 2 females to every male, or some other combinations, or does it matter? since i have decided they are to go into my 55 gallon first amd remain there im thinking i might want to have it as a species tank. how many can i put in there in regards to adult sizes? i wasnt really thinking of getting any more than 4 (to avoid a large bioload) and to be perfectly honest 2 would be just fine. im not really in the mood to get a whole lot of fish right now, basically finish out my little community tank with 2 more corys and 1 more banjo and that can pretty much be it...that 10 gallon and the bichir 55 and im done getting any more fish for a good while, with the exception to my bettas of course but they have their own little tanks and dont really factor into the equation. getting back to my question though, what do i need to know about sexing?
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Apr 14 2008, 06:57 AM
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#25
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 Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 322 Joined: 18-December 07 Member No.: 37665 |
QUOTE (beblondie @ Apr 5 2008, 09:12 PM) Care of young Young bichirs in this example P.senegalus, As they breed in captivity and are now being farm raised and are the most readily available subjuvenile of the bichirs and the cheapest ( $5-10) range and they are incerdibly small when we buy them 2''-3'' is about normal . This is how I raise them certainly there are other ways. I use the step up system in other words small fish small tank as it grows I move it up to bigger tank. Its a three step process I use they start off in a 10 gallon tank with the water level reduced to about half the tanks volume fine gravel or sand for the substrate and silk plants for cover and to float in.I use a sponge filter At this stage they are fed bloodworms and baby brine shrimp chopped squid and very small silversides I feed small portions a few times a day.This isn't possible for many but try feeding morning and again at night, between now and 7" they are undergoing their greatest growth and are hungry constantly When they reach approx. 5'' i add a small power filter and raise the water level to approx 2 inches under the trim frame.At this size they are bigger foods small feeder, ghostshrimp,bloodworms earthworms etc .They stay in this tank till 7-8'' at which point I move them to a 20 gallon long for final growout These steps allow the bichir room to exercise but still small enough so its easy to find/catch food. Of course if I get a bigger specime 5-6'' they would go into the 10 gallon then move up to the 20 long this gives me time to watch for any signs of illness.-Anne i love anne! QUOTE (Straydum @ Apr 7 2008, 01:26 PM) just a note nelly, i would be quite careful with bichirs on gravel. i've lost one too many to gravel choking. i lost my first sen. to gravel today. he was 8 3/4". sad day... |
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Apr 14 2008, 03:01 PM
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#26
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resistance is futile...... Group: Newsletter Team Posts: 2139 Joined: 5-April 06 From: UK Member No.: 20388 |
QUOTE (Starfishpower @ Apr 14 2008, 07:31 AM) ok i need to know about how to tell the genders apart and in what ratios to buy them in respects to this. i know the index profile says males have a "large pocket like anal fin" but i dont know what that means. iv examined all the pics of them on here that i can find and they all look the same to me. please help me out here and is there a certain system to mixing the 2 genders in an aquarium? like should i have 2 females to every male, or some other combinations, or does it matter? since i have decided they are to go into my 55 gallon first amd remain there im thinking i might want to have it as a species tank. how many can i put in there in regards to adult sizes? i wasnt really thinking of getting any more than 4 (to avoid a large bioload) and to be perfectly honest 2 would be just fine. im not really in the mood to get a whole lot of fish right now, basically finish out my little community tank with 2 more corys and 1 more banjo and that can pretty much be it...that 10 gallon and the bichir 55 and im done getting any more fish for a good while, with the exception to my bettas of course but they have their own little tanks and dont really factor into the equation. getting back to my question though, what do i need to know about sexing? Well basically the male has a broader anal fin than the females, it's described as pocket like because when breeding the male stretches it into a cup-shape, however this is not the usual shape of it, I've only seen mine stretch his a couple of times. It's just worth remembering that the anal fin of a male is broader. However at 4" it will be difficult to tell the sexes apart, 4" is the borderline between it being impossible to sex them and being able to, so it may be difficult, and any if you get them any smaller than 4" it may not be possible at all. Sorry I don't know what the ratios should be. |
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Apr 14 2008, 03:10 PM
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#27
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 Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 413 Joined: 17-June 04 Member No.: 7044 |
QUOTE (Starfishpower @ Apr 14 2008, 06:31 AM) ok i need to know about how to tell the genders apart and in what ratios to buy them in respects to this. i know the index profile says males have a "large pocket like anal fin" but i dont know what that means. iv examined all the pics of them on here that i can find and they all look the same to me. please help me out here and is there a certain system to mixing the 2 genders in an aquarium? like should i have 2 females to every male, or some other combinations, or does it matter? since i have decided they are to go into my 55 gallon first amd remain there im thinking i might want to have it as a species tank. how many can i put in there in regards to adult sizes? i wasnt really thinking of getting any more than 4 (to avoid a large bioload) and to be perfectly honest 2 would be just fine. im not really in the mood to get a whole lot of fish right now, basically finish out my little community tank with 2 more corys and 1 more banjo and that can pretty much be it...that 10 gallon and the bichir 55 and im done getting any more fish for a good while, with the exception to my bettas of course but they have their own little tanks and dont really factor into the equation. getting back to my question though, what do i need to know about sexing? 1 male and one female would be fine no the problem unless you're really good its almost impossible to sex upper jaw Polypterids like senegals till they reach 7-8 inchs with any certinty.Sexing the males anal fin is approx. twice as wide as the females and more muscular.-Anne |
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Apr 14 2008, 05:38 PM
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#28
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927 |
ok, so i shouldnt really worry about it since i cant tell the difference anyway. ill be sure to keep an eye out just in case one is more prominent thatn the other but basically i should just pick any 2 i like. thanks
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Apr 17 2008, 02:37 PM
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#29
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 Fish Addict Group: Members Posts: 501 Joined: 10-August 07 From: Central NJ Member No.: 34482 |
Quick question if i may. How long does it take for a senegal to reach 7 months?
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Apr 17 2008, 03:11 PM
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#30
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927 |
QUOTE (Tobigara @ Apr 17 2008, 10:37 AM) Quick question if i may. How long does it take for a senegal to reach 7 months? good question. what exactly is the growth rate for these fish? do they grow fast to a certain length and then slow until there full lenght or is there some other pattern? what can be expected? |
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Apr 17 2008, 06:38 PM
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#31
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 413 Joined: 17-June 04 Member No.: 7044 |
Growth rates can vary widely I have had senegals that grew an 1''-1 1/2''per month till 7-8 inches then growth (length) slows and girth increases
they generally max out at 10-12'' with females being slightly larger and bulkier than the males. Now the other side of the coin i have had senegals together and one grew faster than the other I seperated them and took extra care of the runt but its rate of growth did not increase (probable cause genetics). Most likely the senegals you will buy at the lfs are captive bred and theres no telling what the gene pool is like. To maximize growth potential heres some tips. 1. several small meals thru the day rather than 1 or 2 big ones if possible 2.Keep water as clean as possible 3.Keep the temp around 80-82F 4. Keep lighting schedule constant 5.Feed high quality foods including a good pelletized food-Anne |
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Apr 17 2008, 07:37 PM
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#32
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 387 Joined: 30-December 07 Member No.: 37927 |
ok, thanks so much Anne. iv actually bookmarked this thread for future reference
ill keep yall up to date as things progress.
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Apr 18 2008, 06:37 PM
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#33
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 Fish Crazy  Group: Members Posts: 184 Joined: 6-October 06 From: Northern Virginia Member No.: 25534 |
If my memory has not deserted me, bichirs are air breathers (which is not to say they they don't breathe water, just that they make the occasional trip to the surface.) With that said, would a young senegal have a problem in a very tall tank? A 110 High? 48x18x30" (120x45x76 cm)?
Also, I don't think it would be an issue, but they'll be in that tank with 3 Leopard Ctenos about 3 1/2" long at the moment. Should I worry about predation? I'll be keeping 4 or 5 Swordtails (a male and 3 or 4 females) in there to keep the fry coming for the predators (2 Bichirs, 2 ABFs, and 3 Ctenos), so there should be food on the fin on a fairly constant basis. |
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Apr 19 2008, 12:53 AM
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#34
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Fishaholic Group: Members Posts: 413 Joined: 17-June 04 Member No.: 7044 |
Bichirs use both gills and atmospheric O2 for respiration,Further P senegalus as they age depend more on atmospheric O2 for respiration.
While 1 tank 30 inches high is not real desireable young senegals tend to stay close to the surface often floating in plasnts. With your 3 ctenos and predation it will depend on the size of the bichir,Personally if you could grow out the bichirs some before adding them to the main tank you'd be better off. As for your food plan I have had bichir devastate a dozen guppies and their fry(one dropped fry in the tank) in one night -Anne |
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Apr 19 2008, 12:13 PM
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#35
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Fish Crazy Group: Members Posts: 184 Joined: 6-October 06 From: Northern Virginia Member No.: 25534 |
QUOTE (beblondie @ Apr 18 2008, 08:53 PM) Bichirs use both gills and atmospheric O2 for respiration,Further P senegalus as they age depend more on atmospheric O2 for respiration. While 1 tank 30 inches high is not real desireable young senegals tend to stay close to the surface often floating in plasnts. With your 3 ctenos and predation it will depend on the size of the bichir,Personally if you could grow out the bichirs some before adding them to the main tank you'd be better off. As for your food plan I have had bichir devastate a dozen guppies and their fry(one dropped fry in the tank) in one night -Anne Good deal, thanks I just picked up two 20 longs last night, so I'll set one of them aside for grow out once I get the stand built. I'll make sure I have some lilies well along and the Vals to the surface before I add the bichirs. (I'm sure the overhead cover will make the ABFs happier too. The swordtails in the tank are just one aspect of the food plan. I also got 4 other tanks last night, and will be setting up a breeding station, with all culls going to the 110. |
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