Bichir Growth Rates

[markandhisfish]

i have decided that the fish my 2 oscars will share their tank with is a bichir , not sure whic type yet , very much depends on what i can find at the weekend . a quick question before i decide tho. how fast do they grow compared to oscars ? my oscars are about 2.5 inches . the bichirs in my main lfs tend to average around 8 or 9 inches , but they sometimes have smaller ones. so i need to find the balance between the oscars not growing too fast and the bichir being in danger , and the bichir not being big enough for the oscars to dissapear overnight. so what would you say was the smallest and the biggest size bichir it would be safe to add.

edit: also i know bichirs get fairly larrge , this is not really a problem as its a 120g tank and it will only house the oscar and bichir , but are any of them real tank buster to be avoided ?

 

[nmonks]

Bichirs grow fairly slowly.

I'm not aware of any species that stays as small as 20 cm/8 inches; even the Senegal bichir gets to about 30 cm/12 inches given good conditions.

Medium-large species such as the ornate bichir (Polypterus ornatipinnis) are best suited to life with oscars but do bear in mind that both these fish are demanding but in different ways, so creating a habitat amenable to both species will be a challenge. Bichirs are territorial and they have poor eyesight, so they can be unreasonably snappy when kept in mixed species set-ups.

To be honest, in just 120 gallons, I'd be looking at the smaller species like the Senegal bichir and choosing comparably sized tankmates such as severums.

Cheers, Neale

 

[markandhisfish]

hmmm perhaps the bichir wouldnt be such a good idea then for this setup?

 

[nmonks]

Wouldn't be my first choice, no. Something like a tyre-track eel would work better, assuming you know how to feed these fish and can provide a scratch-free environment. Do also look at some of the more charismatic catfish, for example Acanthicus adonis, or even some of the loaches. Adult horseface loaches look great in big, sandy-bottomed tanks. Big sleeper gobies might also work well, though some may view small oscars as dinner!

Cheers, Neale

hmmm perhaps the bichir wouldnt be such a good idea then for this setup?

 

[markandhisfish]

cheers for the advice neale . i will have a re-think and look at some catfish

 

[markandhisfish]

i have just looked on planet catfish and it says that adonis plec will reach a metre in length . surely too big

 

[Davo86]

To be fair both my dominant Senegal and my Delhezi have grown suprisingly fast; senegal especially has grown at around 1" every 6 weeks

 

[markandhisfish]

im starting to consider a plain old common plec davo. with my tank being plantless and just decorated with bogwood , there is nothing to out compete algae for nutrients , so unless i keep the lights off most of the time im forever having to keep removing the wood scrubbing it and replacing it , which to be honest i dont relish the thought of once the oscars are full grown .

 

[simonas]

My Ornate Bichir grew quite slowly for the first couple of years then seemed to have a spurt which involved growth in length and girth!!

I would have thought a bichir would cope better than a tyre track with the oscars. I had no problems with my bichir and oscars and they do look fantastic when bigger

I;d go for the bichir personally

 

[markandhisfish]

i must be honest i would much rather have a bichir but was put off by neales advice .

 

[always4lora]

ihave had my oscar for 18month and i that time its been mixed with my bichirs from small to large, when i first got my ornate the oscar used to chase it a little as the bichir was about 3inch and the oscar a good 8 , in a matter of 4-5months the ornate is bigger than the oscar.

depends on what bichir youre getting really my senegal has really slowed down at the 7 inch region where as my lapredei's / congicus and ornate just keep growing , imo growth is fast than that of my oscar






whats the width of the 120?

 

[markandhisfish]

im probably looking at a senegal simply for the availability round myh way . the width of the tank is 2 feet

 

[always4lora]

im probably looking at a senegal simply for the availability round myh way . the width of the tank is 2 feet

Senegal tend not to grow to fast so i'd make sure the oscar is a fair bit smaller. Although you want something local have a look at :
http/www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/stores_products.asp?type=Fish&fish=&store=54&cat=85
delivery is £12 sommet which is cheap considering petrol prices. You could go with Weeksii, you don't see soo many of them about they'll get to around a foot in no time and then slow down.
Lapredei's another one they sell which are a superb bichir but you'd need to upgrade at some point.

 

[markandhisfish]

the oscars are only about 2.5 inches at the moment .

 

[ChilliPepper]

I have two bichirs with my Oscar, along with various other cichlids. My Delhezi is very shy and slow growing, but he eats about one pellet a night then goes back in his plants. My Ornate on the other hand is an absolute pig and is always looking about and eating when food is about. It is true their eyesight is appalling, but they are fantastic fish.
I think it would be a good time to introduce a bichir before the Oscars get too big. Boris had a taste of my Ornate, who was a tiny fella when I got him. He was fine though, no damage, and no malice meant by Boris he just thought he was food I think.

I'd recommend the Ornate as a fantastic fish, mine has grown incredibly fast, girth as well as length, and gets on well with everyone.