I Got Some Bichir!

[indigoj]

Hi, I seem to be getting attached to oddballs .

I already have 2 Zebra Spiney Eels, (about 10-14 cm at present, doing ok, eating getting stuck in rocks etc....) and today got 2 6-7cm Senegal Bichir. (I have 2x105l tanks, 1x140l tank and 1x50l tank) at present they are the only occupants in my 140l.

They have eaten well (live bloodworm) and seem active, healthy and pretty settled.

So, question time (lol) One of them is missing part of one front fin. Some at the LFS were missing ALL of 1 or both front fins but I was sure we'd got 2 that were intact. Will it grow back? No sign of blood/fin rot or anything, more likely to have been bitten off?

Will they be relatively easy to wean onto frozen foods/finely chopped prawns etc?

I am planning to add 2x Opaline Gourami (approc 3.5 inch) 2x Thick Lip Gourami (about the same) and my Eels to this tank, and in a few week 6 Bosemani Rainbowfish, will this be ok or should I rethink? I may need to add a plec and/or featherfin catfish for a while too.

Any advice/hints/tips more than welcome about the Bichir or Eels.

(BTW, all rocks are now eel proof)

Cheers, Jenn

 

[fry_lover]

Welcome to the Club, i have x4 Senegal Bichirs and am new to keeping Bichirs, mine are about 4-5" at the moment.

I have them in a 48x12x18 which is only 160 litres, i'll probably get a 4x2x2 before the years out with any luck. All my other tanks are bigger but they are full.

I have fed them some blood worm this far, and am going to give them some prawns tonight

 

[Fruitbat]

Congratulations on your acquisition of Polypterus senegalus...they're great fish and the perfect 'starter' bichir because they stay relatively small (about 12 inches) and are fairly active even with the aquarium lights on.

Regarding the damaged pectoral fin...if the fleshy base of the fin has been removed then the fin will likely not grow back. On the other hand, if only the spiny portion of the fin is missing then it likely will grow back. Bichirs are pretty tough fish but keep an eye out for any signs of infection.

As for feeding, most bichirs will happily accept any 'meaty' foods. Mine thrive on a staple diet of Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets (broken in half for smaller bichirs) supplemented by a variety of frozen foods like bloodworms (for the smaller fish), 'krill' or prawns, beef heart (occasionally), silversides or lance fish and an occasional treat of live 'ghost shrimp' and live earthworms. Please note that I never feed my bichirs live 'feeder' fish due to the risk of introducing internal or external parasites.

-Joe

 

[indigoj]

Thanks, it is just the spiney part of the fin so fingers crossed for regrowth. No signs of any infection and s/he is managing to swim around just fine.

What do you think of the other fish I plan to put in with them? Any potential problems?

 

[Fruitbat]

The only problem that might arise with your tankmate selection is with the Zebra Spiny Eels. Typical aquarium size for Mastacembelus zebrinus is about 15cm (6 inches or so....though they can get much larger in the wild). The bichirs will eventually out-grow them and a long, thin fish like that might end up as a tasty, easily-swallowed meal for the bichir.

I generally don't recommend 'pleco'-type catfish in bichir tanks. Although it doesn't happen frequently, 'pleco'-type catfish have been known to develop a taste for the slime coating on the bichir's scales and have caused enough damage to the bichir by rasping on its scales to lead to fatal infections.

-Joe

 

[indigoj]

Thanks. May put Plec in other tank then. Eels can also be moved once I've swapped gravel for sand in a 3ft tank. Any suggestions for an algae eater? What about large shrimp?