Senegal Juvie Tank

[Deroplatys]

Currently my bichir is in the family 100cm long tank, but everyone wants to get small fish again soon, but the good thing is is that this means im finally allowed my own fish tank for him to move in to.
Im just about to pop out so i cant get the actual size in L, but here's the measurements of the tanks i have in the attic.

Tank 1,
31cm tall, 25.5cm deep, 42cm long.

Tank 2,
31cm tall, 30cm deep, 46cm long.

Tank 3,
37cm tall, 30cm deep, 76cm long.

I know obviously the bigger the better but will he be ok in tank 2?
I would use the biggest one straight away but it involves a major overhaul of my room, alternatively i can always just get another tank between the size of tank 2 and 3.
Are there any other predators i could keep in those tanks?

 

[nmonks]

Depth is irrelevant, so the longer the tank, the better. But even 70-odd cm is barely adequate for a fish that can, and will, reach between 25-35 cm in length when mature. Anything less than 100 cm is unwise, and surely unsuitable for two or more specimens.

Do remember that Senegal bichirs aren't "predators" in the common sense of the word. They feed primarily on insects and worms in the wild, and they're slow feeders at that. Good tankmates include anything that swims in the middle and upper layers and won't take food from the substrate. In a tank 100+ cm long, an obvious choice would be 2-3 Ctenolucius hujeta, otherwise known as freshwater barracuda or rocket gar. Peaceful dither fish are important, too.

On the other hand, anything aggressive or nippy is right out. I've seen small Malawian cichlids strip the fins from bichirs, so I'd approach the family Cichlidae with caution. Given space though, West African dwarf cichlids can work well. On the other hand, puffers, Anostomus and barbs prone to nipping would be a bad choice. Loricariids are a mixed bag, with at least some being either too aggressive or too willing to rasp the mucous from slow-moving fish to be worth trying. If pushed, I'd look at things like Ancistrus that are known to be completely peaceful.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Deroplatys]

Thanks for your help again
I only planned on keeping one individual, and at the moment its in a 100cm long tank, i had read a lot up about them from vartious different sources which all said they often dont reach the largest size and stay a bit smaller.
It does sound like my bichir is way better off in the 100cm tank then.
I'll just tell them to lay off the guppies and tetra's
With the tanks i do have then are there any other predatory or similar fish which would be suitable?

 

[nmonks]

Obviously they will eat bite-sized tankmates, but then so will angelfish! The important thing to realise is that they feed primarily on invertebrates, and their diet should reflect that.

Almost all Senegal bichirs I've seen in captivity have reached a fairly large size, at least 20 cm, and often over 25 cm. They don't "grow to the size of their tank" and you should plan around the fact they're quite big fish.

Yes, your Senegal bichir will be happier in the 100 cm tank.

As for predators for smaller tanks, what are you after? Catfish? Puffers? Characins? Essentially anything up to 10 cm long should work in a 75-cm aquarium, given adequate water quality and the right tankmates (or none, as the case may be).

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for your help again
I only planned on keeping one individual, and at the moment its in a 100cm long tank, i had read a lot up about them from vartious different sources which all said they often dont reach the largest size and stay a bit smaller.
It does sound like my bichir is way better off in the 100cm tank then.
I'll just tell them to lay off the guppies and tetra's
With the tanks i do have then are there any other predatory or similar fish which would be suitable?

 

[Deroplatys]

Whilst i've had my bichir its only been fed on invertebrates so far
Never really liked puffers much for some reason
I like more camoflouged looking fish, like the south amarican leaf fish. Ideally my most wanted fish now are snakeheads, but i deffiniately know the tank requirements for them and wont be getting some myself for a fair few years.

 

[nmonks]

South American leaffish are an absolute pain to feed and best avoided. Very few aquarists can keep them alive for long. A ready source of live foods is practically essential, whether gut-loaded livebearer fry (in VAST numbers, so this assumes you're also a fairly serious fancy fish breeder) or small invertebrates like mosquito larvae (in even bigger numbers than fish fry).

The African leaffish, Ctenopoma acutirostre, is a much nicer animal and very easy to keep. Some take pellets, but all seem happy to eat suitable fresh and frozen foods including bloodworms. They're peaceful and get along with anything too large to be viewed as food. Bichirs and the smaller Synodontis make excellent companions. Smaller cousins like Microctenopoma fasciatum and the charming Microctenopoma ansorgii are well worth hunting down. Microctenopoma fasciatum is easy to keep and the bluish strain can be quite handsome in the right tank, but Microctenopoma ansorgii is shy, can be delicate, and needs softish water to do well.

The smaller snakeheads tend to be subtropical fish, though there are a few exceptions. They can get along with other species of fish, but even the smaller species need a fair amount of space to do well. That said, they're lovely animals. I kept Channa asiatica twenty ago, and it was once of my favourite fish.

Do look at the excellent brackish water waspfish Neovespicula depressifrons. It isn't too difficult to keep provided you have a good supply of live and wet-frozen foods. They won't take flake and pellets. On the plus side, they're nifty looking animals and don't get that big, 10 cm or so.

Cheers, Neale

Whilst i've had my bichir its only been fed on invertebrates so far
Never really liked puffers much for some reason
I like more camoflouged looking fish, like the south amarican leaf fish. Ideally my most wanted fish now are snakeheads, but i deffiniately know the tank requirements for them and wont be getting some myself for a fair few years.

 

[Deroplatys]

Thanks for all the advise, and i already have a couple of Ctenopoma, i love em
Guess thats a no for the leaf fish then, wondered why there didnt seem to be many people keeping them
I'll have a look into the Microctenopoma