Bichirs

[nmonks]

Also known by the common name lobed fin pike,dinosaur eel.
The name Polypterus : poly=many + pterus=fins and is pronounced po-lyp'-terus.

Beblondie --

I enjoyed your post on the name of these fish. One thing that has always struck me as odd is why the Latin name is pronounced "polyp-terus" rather than "polly-terus". The "poly" bit would surely be the same as in "polygon" or "polythene". And the "pterus" bit should be with a silent P, as in "Pterophyllum" or "Pteridophyte". Yet stick them together and the P suddenly gets pronounced!

Cheers, Neale

 

[pacuboy]

I was told from the lfs to never keep plecos with bichirs. They will suck there slime coat.

 

[Fruitbat]

Not to hijack the thread but the vagaries of pronouncing Latin (or Latinized) names is always so much FUN!

A general rule regarding the pronunciation of consonant pairs in Latin:

• When the consonant pairs cn, ct, gn, mn, ps and pt are at the beginning of a word they only have the sound of the second letter.

• When the consonant pairs cn, ct, gn, mn, ps and pt are within the word then both letters are pronounced.

This is why, as Neale so astutely observed, the word Pteridophyte is pronounced as though the beginning 'p' is silent but in Polypterus you hear both the 'p' and the 't'.

Just a little Latin trivia dredged up from the dim and distant days of my youth.

-Joe

 

[nmonks]

Joe --

Very interesting! Thanks for the explanation.

cheers,

Neale

 

[Ranger]

bichirs will readily eat minnows as well, but be careful because they are not always the healthiest fish in stores because they're over crowded. You might also be able to get away with using krill for a while, although it seems to drain the color of their skin quickly, or you can try raw shrimp from your local grocery store. Buy 51-60 counts, de shell and vein them, and then cut them into chunks and see how they like it. since processed shrimp contains nothing but shrimp, salt and water, you should not have any problem adding this into your tank.

I rarely feed him minnows. I've had my fish contract something from those filthy creatures one too many times. I don't know anything about shrimp what does "51-60" counts mean, and how do I devain them? I figure that deshelling them is obvious as to what you do. Basically I'm going for whatever will make him grow the fastest, I switched from Frozen blood worms to feeding him frozen beefheart(i heard it was good).

Doh! I'm still looking for an answer here . The pronunciation information is very interesting and I appreciate the input, I don't mean to be rude

 

[beblondie]

Whats the question?
what does "51-60" counts mean? it means theres 51-60 shrimp per pound
how do I devain them? I'd just cut them into bite size bits and feed
I'm going for whatever will make him grow the fastest.Many small meals instead of one or two big meals,
vary the diet,keep the water warm and clean.-Anne

 

[Ranger]

Whats the question?
what does "51-60" counts mean? it means theres 51-60 shrimp per pound
how do I devain them? I'd just cut them into bite size bits and feed
I'm going for whatever will make him grow the fastest.Many small meals instead of one or two big meals,
vary the diet,keep the water warm and clean.-Anne

Alright! Thanks beblondie!! Will do, I want him(? can't tell yet) to grow BIG and STRONG!