Bichir

[randymyr]

I'm looking at getting a bichir for my 30 gallon tank (30x12x18 or so)
I've never had them before, and i've done some research on them, i just want to know what the real keepers have to say about keeping them

stuff like...
feeding - what, what at what size, etc.
sediment - sand, or is gravel really ok?
things to avoid
etc.

Any real info could help... or even a care sheet someone could type up would be good

 

[simonas]

I may be wrong but I would have thought your tank was a tad too short

I've got an ornate bichir now which is about 10 iches and he has some more growing in him. He seems really peaceful and is now relatively avctive and eats everything I stick in especeially sinking catfish pellets, however these fish are very able predators in my opinion and stalk smaller fish to eat them. I once had a senegal I caught doing this in the nighth. My fault at the time not his

I would check on the sizes essentially

I may be wrong but I would have thought your tank was a tad too short

I've got an ornate bichir now which is about 10 iches and he has some more growing in him. He seems really peaceful and is now relatively avctive and eats everything I stick in especeially sinking catfish pellets, however these fish are very able predators in my opinion and stalk smaller fish to eat them. I once had a senegal I caught doing this in the nighth. My fault at the time not his

I would check on the sizes essentially

I may be wrong but I would have thought your tank was a tad too short

I've got an ornate bichir now which is about 10 iches and he has some more growing in him. He seems really peaceful and is now relatively avctive and eats everything I stick in especeially sinking catfish pellets, however these fish are very able predators in my opinion and stalk smaller fish to eat them. I once had a senegal I caught doing this in the nighth. My fault at the time not his

I would check on the sizes essentially

 

[beblondie]

FEEDING & NUTRITION
Now that you have a bichir what does it eat? In their natural habitat bichirs normally eat small fish,various insect larvae and invertabrates.Bichirs are generaly non agressive ambush predators but also oppurtunistic scavengers.Objects to big to be consumed whole are often "deathrolled" till
small parts are twisted and ripped off the carcass.The key here is to balance the diet thru a variety
of foods with an eye on total nutrition.A varied diet is a good diet for your fish and yourself.
Now then what can we feed them? You actually have several options and They will be listed below
The freezer at your local fish store is a smorgasboard of foods which should include
silversides or lancefish
mysis shrimp
brine shrimp
krill
bloodworms
tubifex worms
squid
beefheart
Simply thaw and feed


Your local market can be a great source of foods check the seafood section of the freezer
You can use just about any foods you find there including
mussels
shrimp
most fish filets (avoid salmon i think its to oily)

Available at the butcher counter or they should be able to order it for you
beefheart
and yes chicken gizzards
to prepare the above cut it into strips and remove any fat you can find
fish do not digest mammialian fat well

Live foods include
some frog species(some frogs release a nasty chemical when bitten)
tadpoles
African dwarf frogs are safe and part of the natural diet
ghost shrimp
earthworms
mealworms feed only the recently shed(white) ones the chiton in the exoskeleton
can be hard to digest and in some can result in intestinal blockages.
There is really no reason to feeders except as the ocassional treat.
Various live fish and fry can be used for foods.Caution here unless you raise them
any commercialy bought feeders usually rosie reds/tuffies (the albino form of fat head minnows),
guppies,bait minnows etc.need to be quarantined before feeding them to your fish for several reasons.
reason 1 They are kept in horrible conditions
reason 2 They are often diseased
reason 3 They often are carriers of parasites
During quarantine dispose of the obviously sick or diseased.The remaining ones feed quality
foods a healthy feeder is of course better for your fish.
Goldfish just generaly are poor feeders and should be avoided. they are oily not very nutritious and constant feed of them causes faty deposits on the liver leading to premature deaths.They also contain very high levels of Thiaminase a destroying hormone.While many fish used as feeders contain this goldfish seem to have an abundance of it.Another issue is a spine at the front of the dorsal fin which can lead to problems if the goldfish is swollowed the wrong way (tailfirst).Yet another reason not to use goldfish,goldfish farms utilize copper meds in suspension form to combat diseases in the feeders associated with overcrowding.These copper meds are retained by the feeders for long periods after they leave the farms.Most lfs invariably retain all or part of the feeders shipping water when the feeders are loaded into their bins/tanks. And copper does not dissapate from a closed system.
The key is to balance the diet with a variety of foods listed above not just 1 or 2 items and skipping a meal once you notice a decline in growth rate is good for fish.

 

[randymyr]

Didn't think i could actually feed them meats like that
i'll take note of that, hopefully it's not too expensive, and he should get the best diet possible!!!
feeding was my only problem, i'm never 100% sure on what to feed them, as people like to say they have problems with a given food

would they be able to eat crickets??

 

[invader]

They probably could, if they could catch them. I kinda doubt it, unless you conditioned them to take them.

A 30 gl seems a bit too small, especially since it is only 30" long. I would wait until you had something a bit bigger and you could go with a group of them.

There are multiple care sheets on the different species of bichir in the index. Go check it out.

 

[randymyr]

what measurements are reccomended for keeping a senegal then??
also, i seen your plat, really nice! i think they have some at my lfs

 

[invader]

what measurements are reccomended for keeping a senegal then??
also, i seen your plat, really nice! i think they have some at my lfs

At least 36" long. Tbh, senegals are so active that I would really suggest going with a 55gl and then you would give them the extra room to zoom around and you could also fit a couple of others in there, such as the different palmas species and delhezis.

Thanks! I would be very surprised if your lfs had some plats in... I had to special order mine. The guy I bought mine from has more in and I am tempted once again to get another... or more... Too bad I'm being cheap right now.

 

[randymyr]

Well... i'm pretty sure it's a platinum...
can you give me a list of things to make sure it's a platinum??

 

[beblondie]

generaly all white body with black eyes,and usuall a hefty price-Anne

 

[randymyr]

alright... i thought so
but they were the same price as the regular
i must double check to see if it is a plat! i know it is white though, and i believe the eyes were black...
so should i go for her if there's no change in price between the two?

 

[invader]

alright... i thought so
but they were the same price as the regular
i must double check to see if it is a plat! i know it is white though, and i believe the eyes were black...
so should i go for her if there's no change in price between the two?

I highly doubt it's a platinum... I paid in the triple digits for mine. Sometimes young senegalus can be very light, but not platinum. Once you've seen a true plat in person, you can easily see the difference.

If it is a plat, then I would get it and then upgrade tank asap. I mean, with a fish like that, it deserves a bigger home!

Oh one thing I left out in my response before: Make sure you get sand as the substrate. Bichirs shouldn't be kept on gravel, since it's easy for them to ingest it and get intestinal blockage. It's a really sad thing and all too common.