"regular" Bichir Behavior?

[onidrase]

I got a senegal bichir a few days back for my 75 gallon tank, but this guy is a little bizarre, to say the least. He seems to be alright for the most part, he eats, swims around all right, lays around other times, what I expected. But every now and then, he just freaks out, zooms up to the top of the tank, takes a breath or something, and idly floats back down to the substrate. Not really swimming back down, but floating back down, fins unmoving. Then ones he hits the ground, he swims around some more like nothing happened. the swimming upwards is quick, but it's not frantic. No spiraling or anything like that, very uniform, but rather strange to me.

sometimes he does cotinue to swim back down rather than float, but the floating down happens enough for it to be noted.

Is this "normal?" should I be concerned? Is there not enough oxygen in my tank water? My filter kicks up a lot of agitation, however. I have some very tight lids on the tank. I could add some powerheads if it'd help.

Thanks much

 

[thereverendturtle]

It's normal. They have a lung and need to breathe air.

 

[Binge]

^^^^ mine even blow bubbles on occasion

 

[snake007]

Perfectly normal!
They have lungs that requires them to breath air.
Just make sure your lid is very tight because they are notorious jumpers.

 

[onidrase]

Perfectly normal!
They have lungs that requires them to breath air.
Just make sure your lid is very tight because they are notorious jumpers.

lid is so tight, I have to get wet to adjust the heater, and I have a hard time opening it sometimes due to suction

I think I got that covered

no pun intended

 

[onidrase]

now he's floating idley at the top of the tank, this kind of worries me. Are you guys sure this is normal?

 

[snake007]

Yep mine practically does it all of the time, they have an amazing swim bladder.

 

[onidrase]

Yep mine practically does it all of the time, they have an amazing swim bladder.

and the whole floating down idley instead of swimming down is normal too?

God it's so weird

I'm never getting an oddball fish again

 

[snake007]

It's completely normal

That's the thing with oddball fish, they do odd things.

 

[always4lora]

As long as your water stats are ok there is nothing to worry about.

 

[MBOU]

If you get something the floats, some Eloda Crispa (the pond elodea rather than the softer and more easily destroyed) and let it float in a pile at the top of the tank, he will probably sit in it

 

[snake007]

Thanks for that MBOU, I will be getting some of those.

 

[M204]

I have a bichir I just got not long ago so I'm still learning. About them but myne does the same thing I think its because they are air breathers so they naturaly do this I herd u shouldn't have deep tanks so they can get air easier but I just have a peice of drift wood that actually pops out of the water but he can hangout on that right at the surface. Please any one correct me if this is wrong