Common name/s: Armoured bichir, banded bichir

Scientific name: Polypterus delhezi

Family: Polypteridae

Origin: Central Africa

Maximum size:16"

Care: The large adult size means that this fish should be kept in nothing less than a 55 gallon tank, as with all bichir species they are fast growers so should go straight into the tank they will spend their life in unless you have multiple tanks and can move fish around as they grow. The fish is not fussy of water parameters providing the extremes of pH and hardness are avoided, idealy the water should be neutral and medium hard, temperatures should be kept between 25 and 28 centigrade (77-82f). The tank should have a sand substrate, bichirs are clumsy feeders and smaller specimins may choke to death on pieces of gravel that they swallow by mistake, bichirs are nocturnal so decorate the tank with rocks and bogwood to create pleanty of daytime hiding places, they are not recomended for planted tanks as through their clumsy nature they often uproot any plants in their way. All bichirs are predators so tankmates should be at least half the adult size of this fish.

Feeding:Frozen meaty foods of all kinds, mussels and whitebait are favourites. Young bichirs can be fed bloodworms until they are large enough to take bigger foods.

Sexing: Males have a large pocket like anal fin. Females are larger.

Breeding:Unknown

Ickle Baby Delhezi Rex