ID BICHIR? PLS? :(:

[itiwhetu]

This is my experience with Birchirs and Oscars. This is a piece out of my thread "Oscars are great pets"

My mate wanted some tank mates for Charlie and The Mrs. so it was decided on two Bichir. I found a couple from a wholesaler about 5inches long. More than two bites for Charlie. I feared for their lives but in they went.
Charlie and The Mrs stopped laying eggs. The Bichir grew and everything was great. Then one morning The Mrs was dead. I always thought one of the Bichir had given her a tickle in the middle of the night and she had knocked herself out and drowned. Charlie he died shortly after, I think of a broken heart. The Bichir took over the "Mansion"

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Not many happy endings for Oscar’s and bichirs. It is hit or miss either tankmates for Oscars.

 

[Caesar]

I find adults are the individuals that are successfully kept together. If you were to starve them, then you would increase the risk of cohabitation, but in general large and well-fed fish won't be problematic. Though they need to be given the appropriate amount of space for the fish not to be constantly in eachothers space.

My ornate and endlicheri regularly mistakenly bite eachother and the faces of other bichirs during feeding without harm, while tearing apart smelt, tilapia, prawn, etc. Adult oscar are far too large for the bichir to bother and likewise there's little an oscar can do that will damage the armour.

Myself I prefer Central American species of cichlids to South American cichlids for cohabitation, with the exception of the obvious large predatory species.

 

[Stanv03]

I find adults are the individuals that are successfully kept together. If you were to starve them, then you would increase the risk of cohabitation, but in general large and well-fed fish won't be problematic. Though they need to be given the appropriate amount of space for the fish not to be constantly in eachothers space.

My ornate and endlicheri regularly mistakenly bite eachother and the faces of other bichirs during feeding without harm, while tearing apart smelt, tilapia, prawn, etc. Adult oscar are far too large for the bichir to bother and likewise there's little an oscar can do that will damage the armour.

Myself I prefer Central American species of cichlids to South American cichlids for cohabitation, with the exception of the obvious large predatory species.

Yea Ive been told that it’s possible as long as they don’t bit on each other’s mouths. And I got 2 FX6 canisters running on the 125. And I already have an albino senegal that’s like 5- inches and the Oscar’s don’t bother him at all now the other way around. But I will also be getting rid of him as well because I was just testing to see how they would behave towards eachother right now. Now as adults it might be different but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. And I got a call a few hours ago that my LFS has a 3 or 4 inch baby Ornate bichir so I’m going to pick it up later today after work it’ll look nice in my 125, my Albino Tiger Oscar and my Red Oscar then the ornate bichir chilling . I’ll just have to raise up the ornate in my 55 for a few months till he’s ready to go