Murderer!

[Yarra]

Not like I didn't KNOW this was going to happen, *cough* thanks Joe *cough*...

..but my bichir has started to eat my neons. lol It happened A LOT faster then I thought it would the little turd.

SO, I really want to keep neons. I love the way they school, and the color they add to the tank. I do not have the financial means by wich to get a ten gal for the birch to grow out in, OR to house neons.

This is what I have in the tank right now...

1 3" Bichir
2 2" Angels
4 2" Mollies
2 neons
1 beta In his own floating breeder box to keep him out of the current

I like Joe's idea about going African. But I also really like the angels. I was reading a thread about planted tanks and someone mentioned Amano. I googled him and FELL IN LOVE. I will have to do more research on him. He has a guppy tank that I WILL reproduce someday.

But as for current issues...I am taking the mollies back to the LFS today and picking up another angel and some more neons. I KNOW, neons = birchir dinner. But hear me out for now.

This is what I would like to go for. Plus the Bichir.

Basically, large tank, many angels, one breed of smaller tightly schooling fish, the bichir and some type of algae eater when the need arises. (ideas)

I would LOVE to find a small schooling fish the bichir will not eat. Or maybe won't eat all too often.

Any ideas?

I LOVE the neons. I would LOVE to keep them. But replacing them at the current rate of my bichirs digestive habits would leave me with $60 bucks in neons a month. He is eating one every night. Not acceptable. If he were eating one every week or so, I could handle that.

I was thinking, if I fed the blood worms right before bed, before lights out, which is when the hunting seems to happen, do you think the blood worms would keep him busy enough all night that he might leave the neons alone for the most part? The first time I fed him blood worms, I woke up to all of my neons, that was the only time i have ever fed blood worms before going to bed. That is what has me wondering.

SO this is what i am asking...

1) do you think the bichir will leave the neons alone if he has lots of worms to keep him busy through the night? Or if there are LOTS of neons, would they be more intimidating to him, or just a 24hour buffet?

2) The neons are my favorite, so with their coloring and schooling habits in mind, what is a comparable fish that the bichir will leave alone? I like the slow moving big angles, in contrast to the fast tight schooling neons.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

really, you can't trust any fish to not eat a tankmate smaller than its mouth. this is especially true of fish with very big mouths and very small tankmates--such as birchirs and neons.

your angels also should not be kept with neons. the wild angel's natural prey include neon tetras.

also, you mentioned that a 10g grow out tank is out of the question. do you realize how large birchirs grow to be? i think most species are in the 12" range when fully adult.

 

[keane]

This is what I would like to go for. Plus the Bichir.

Yah..wouldn't we all!!

1) do you think the bichir will leave the neons alone if he has lots of worms to keep him busy through the night? Or if there are LOTS of neons, would they be more intimidating to him, or just a 24hour buffet?

Imagine LOTS of Big Macs, or LOTS of chocolate bars or LOTS of whatever else you like to munch on......sound intimidating to you???

Didn't think so.

Lose the birchir or lose the neons is the only option IMO.

 

[Yarra]

really, you can't trust any fish to not eat a tankmate smaller than its mouth. this is especially true of fish with very big mouths and very small tankmates--such as birchirs and neons.

your angels also should not be kept with neons. the wild angel's natural prey include neon tetras.

also, you mentioned that a 10g grow out tank is out of the question. do you realize how large birchirs grow to be? i think most species are in the 12" range when fully adult.

I should have been more clear.


A 10gal grow out is out of the question. I will be buying a 55 gal within the next 8 to 12 months. (when we move out of this apt) I was trying to steer clear of the multiple tanke syndrome. But as I think about it, buying a 10 to get the bichir through until the 55 wouldn't be so bad. I could use the 10 as my guppy tank when the bichir has been rehomed. hmmmm

So, to answer the main part of my question...

What kind of smaller fish, that shcools, could I use to replace the neons?

 

[CFC]

Bichirs are predators, they eat small fish. You cannot keep a predatory fish with small fish and expect it to not eat them.

 

[Yarra]

Bichirs are predators, they eat small fish. You cannot keep a predatory fish with small fish and expect it to not eat them.

Well then! I guess I will just have to settle for expenisive but pretty feeder fish!

 

[Dwarfs]

It seems so. Larger rainbow species can probably be kept with a Senegal bichir, the overall cost for a few of those would probably be less than the amount you will be spending on neons. Your bichir will grow, and take on two neons per night, then three, then four, etc. The only way to keep the neons is to get rid of the bichir. Should you keep both, the bichir will eventually eat all of the neons, and if you keep replacing them you are not only wasting money, but risking possible disease by continuously adding new fish to the tank. Seriously consider your options.
A: Keep both, lose the neons repeatedly
B : Try other fish besides neons (Some rainbows get to over 4" )
C: Keep the bichir only
D: Keep the neons only

 

[Yarra]

It seems so. Larger rainbow species can probably be kept with a Senegal bichir, the overall cost for a few of those would probably be less than the amount you will be spending on neons. Your bichir will grow, and take on two neons per night, then three, then four, etc. The only way to keep the neons is to get rid of the bichir. Should you keep both, the bichir will eventually eat all of the neons, and if you keep replacing them you are not only wasting money, but risking possible disease by continuously adding new fish to the tank. Seriously consider your options.
A: Keep both, lose the neons repeatedly
B : Try other fish besides neons (Some rainbows get to over 4" )
C: Keep the bichir only
D: Keep the neons only

You know, I REAAAALLY wish I would have found this site BEFORE I bought the bichir.

Now that I have him, my bf is in love with him, and I think he is a bit fun too. I am just so mad at the man at the petstore who NEVER TOLD ME that the Bichir would eat the little ones. Now I have to get a new tank. This is just wrong. That is how the Chain stores make their money!! They leave out the fact that you are going to have to have a 30 gal, ALL for the bichir within a year, and you are FORCED to go back and buy a whole new setup!!



Maybe I will just get the 55 for the angels and neons and other littles, and leave the bichir alone, persay, in the 30. GROAN

 

[astroboy]

i know some people have had success keeping congo tetras with bichirs, much more attractive than neons IMO,

but if you want to keep bichirs and neon tetras, it'll just be a hopeless 24hour a day neon tetra feast

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

I don't wanna preach, but you just can't rely on what 'the guy in the store' tells you when buying new animals. Half the time they either don't know what they're talking about or are just lying to make sales. You really must do a little research beforehand.
The congo tetra idea is a good one, they reach about 3 inches long so would be less bite-sized than the neons! If you didn't have angels, then some barbs would be another choice (the barbs will *love* the angel's fins).

 

[Yarra]

i know some people have had success keeping congo tetras with bichirs, much more attractive than neons IMO,

but if you want to keep bichirs and neon tetras, it'll just be a hopeless 24hour a day neon tetra feast

I would be interested in learing more about the congo tetras and how successfully they are kept with bichirs.

Mine ate 2 more last night...AFTER a full meal of bloodworms. He looks like he is about to burst.

 

[beblondie]

The 30 gallon tank is 36''x12''x whatever right?If so its not the ideal tank for a senegal but its do able for 1 senegal-Anne
in fact at 3'' it would benefit the bichr to be in a smaller tank till it gets about 6-7 inches
P.S. if you're going to be adding new fish you really need a 10 gallon tank for quarantine and hospital use