Pictures Of My New Baby...

[2polypterus]

Sorry for the bad pic quality, but I just have a camera phone right now. This is my newest addition and my second bichir (both are tank raised.) I call her Penelope. I don't usually name my fish, unless they have a lot of personality. Isn't she precious?

 

[magafish18]

ahhh the dino eel came back to haunt me you do know there carnivoures.

very nice

 

[2polypterus]

Yeah I know they are carnivores primarily but they don't seem to know that! My other polypterus senegalus LOVES to steal the plecos algae wafers! I usually feed them a mix of chopped silversides, Hikari sinking carn. pellets, and New Life large fish formula pellets. But they seem to eat anything at all! Mine are both tank raised so maybe that is why they are so flexible.

 

[Loko17]

Wow very nice. Is it albino?

 

[ringham]

dino eel

 

[2polypterus]

Yes it is an albino. I'm normally not a fan of albino fish but I really like her (it.) When I give her the dark colored New Life pellets, I can see them in her belly! I also have a reg. colored polypterus senegalus called einstein. I am hoping that I have one male and one female but I have NO idea how to sex bichirs! I would love to breed them one day and have 2nd gen tank raised bichirs! I have seen wild caught bichirs in pet shops and they are nothing like these two. They are always hiding in the back while my TR bichirs are totally friendly and curious, always out in the front of the tank. I have them in seperate tanks right now because einstein decided that poor penelope looked good to eat! They are not aggressive fish at all but will eat anyone who fits in their mouths! So I am keeping her in the female's side of a divided thiry gal. that houses a pair of Archocentrus Panamensis.

dino eel

That is a beautiful fire eel!! I love eels! I don't know what he means by dino eel, but I personally think they look like underwater dragons...

 

[ringham]

I don't normally like albono fish although if I had to have an albino then i think that a birchir suits being albino the most.

 

[Gankutsuou]

I couldn;t help myself. I got a 3 or 4" albino bichir myself today. Great to see someone else with one. We'll have to help each other if/when the time comes for that on advice and info.

Btw, lovely. Looks just like mine.

 

[2polypterus]

I couldn;t help myself. I got a 3 or 4" albino bichir myself today. Great to see someone else with one. We'll have to help each other if/when the time comes for that on advice and info.

Btw, lovely. Looks just like mine.

They are awesome fish aren't they? Where are you from? I wonder if it is the same breeder. I have had my reg. colored senegals bichir for over a year now and he is just so interesting and curious. He was TR as well.

 

[Scykotic Belief]

dino eel, he is refering to the name somtimes given to bichirs in unknowing LFS, Personally i am a big Fan of bichirs myself having 2 4.5"-5" albino polypterus senegalus and previously Owning a Polypterus Delhezi,
they are astounding fish to watch, i always compare them to otters, in their movement towards the glass when they swimming arround. Though Bichirs are Carniverous and love to eat their meat "mine go crazy for it" they can take pellets and smaller granulated foods when small, i dont know as they grow bigger, but i expect their diet should stay the same. With some sorts of Bichirs such as Delhezi they only eat live,"to my experience" my one never touched pellets. As long as the bichirs have alot of places to hide they wont bother eachother, my guess is that Penelope was exploring the caves or hiding places and ran into Einstein, and hes just thought "i wonder what this is?" and chomp, either install more places to hide or keep them separate as they are quarrel some with eachother and if their is a size difference it can really show in them arguments. i guess installing some caves for them to hide.
i hope i have helped.

 

[Gankutsuou]

I'm down in texas.

My albino is so funny.... Eating one of my cardinal tetra....
This morning he was glowing a light blue. so that's kinda how i was able to tell what tetra he ate....

yeah....

 

[2polypterus]

Oh man im sorry but that is so funny... I can just see the glowing blue coming from your bichir!!! You can expect him to eat any other fish that can fit into his mouth though, for sure! I would get a tank divider if you really don't want any more of your little fish to disappear! With Einstein and Penelope, Einstein was actively pursuing her around the tank. I moved her to a different tank with a female cichlid and they are getting along just fine. I wish I knew how to sex them though...

 

[Scykotic Belief]

To sex a bichir, peticulary Polypterus Senegalus you must look at the anal fin
the males is Wider then the females.
how much size difference is their between your 2 bichirs for einstein to be hunting her?

 

[SamUK]

I'm down in texas.

My albino is so funny.... Eating one of my cardinal tetra....
This morning he was glowing a light blue. so that's kinda how i was able to tell what tetra he ate....

yeah....

are either of your tanks big enough for a bichir?


they grow really fast so id get him out the 10 gallon now.

 

[2polypterus]

To sex a bichir, peticulary Polypterus Senegalus you must look at the anal fin
the males is Wider then the females.
how much size difference is their between your 2 bichirs for einstein to be hunting her?

Penelope is about 2.5-3" and Einstein is about 5.5" The fish store I got them from told me they would probably be ok, but they were wrong. Luckily, I have a lot of tanks, so I wasn't too worried about it. I just observed them for a while after getting her.