Polyptes Breeding

[ghostknife]

I have two young polypterus senegalus in my 4ft tank they are best of freinds they swim round together, feed together they do eveything together.

Could they be a Pair?

How do you sex Them?

If they are how do i go about breeding them?

Thanks

GK

 

[CFC]

Senegal bichirs are one of the few bichir species that has been bred in captivity though the actual event seems to be more luck than judgment. To sex your bichirs look at the anal fins, the male will have a pouch like anal fin while the females will be normal. They are egg scatterers and if they spawn their will be eggs laid all over the tank .

 

[ukjay]

ur dam lucky if ya get um too ( i wish lol)

 

[david27]

I knew someone who had a breeding pair of ornates he said that he used to do trigger it with lots of water changes and programmed his light time to replicate moon cycles.
Don't no if this was just luck or if it actually helped

David

 

[ghostknife]

I am not sure if they are both female or a pair could someone explain in greater detail how you sex them becuse i do not understand.

If it happens what should i feed the fry?

 

[CFC]

To sex them you need to look at the anal fin, that is the last one toward the tail on the underside of the fish.

On the female it will just look like the fin of any other fish but on the male it will be a fleshy pouch. If you are succesful then the fry can be raised on fresh hatched brine shrimp to start and moving on to day old guppies once they are big enough to take them. once they are around 1 1/2 inch long they can start to be fed on carnivor pellets and small pieces of fish and worms.

 

[ghostknife]

I think i do have a pair because one of my fish has a translucent anal fin the one you cannot see through at all.

I have 3 more questions:
1) One of my polypterus has a slightly deformed tail (he has had it all his life) which makes the anal fin lay on the substrate so now his anal fin has bent slightly will this cause any problemswhen breeding?
2) How can get them to breed?
3)Are my fish big enougth to breed (they are about 14cm)?