Senegal Bichir

[sthomas048]

Hello there,

Ive been keen on these fish for a long time, the Senegal Bichir.

There seems to be conflicting info about the tank size required. Would someone be kind enough to advice me on a tank big enough for two Senegal Bichir ? What sort of tank landscape do they like ? I would imagine filtration is very important with these fish, so what kind of filter would be the best to cope with two of these ?

Sorry for all the questions, im hoping someone can clarify things before i decide to buy anything.

Thanks.

 

[GreenEyedTerror]

I have 1 in my 3 foot tank and its getting a little tight... i would recommend either a 55 or a 75, although it is possible to keep them in slightly smaller tanks. I give my bichir plenty of caves to roam in, but he really loves floating plants like water sprite. Sand is the recommended substrate for bichirs because they have poor eyesight and may accidentally eat small rocks, although some people are able to keep them in a tank with gravel and have no issues. I like using aqua clear filters, but there are many different filtration options available, and it will depend on the size of the tank you choose.

 

[always4lora]

50g is pretty much minimum, you want something more than 12inch wide if possible. As for getting 2 thats cool i have a bunch of bichirs and they tend to get on fine. I had my senegal in a 40g for about a year. They don't get terribly big so a good one to start with. Be aware though once you get one you'll want them all

 

[sthomas048]

Thanks guys. So its a 75g, sand and lots of hidy places. Any rock or wood in the tank would have to be fairly heavy ? Thinking of the strength of a fish the size of a Senegal Bichir. Im thinking an internal filter plus an external one, judging by the food they eat ?

Cheers both.

 

[GreenEyedTerror]

Mines not much of a gravel mover (not like my cichlids) so i have never seen him move any of my rocks. They are really hardy I rescued mine from a sick tank at petco, and he was completely unaffected by the poor conditions of the tank. Mine eats any type of sinking food i put in the tank, as well at frozen and live foods. I have both internal and external filtration (I like over filtering my tanks), but for a little while my external filter stopped working while i was away and my bichir didnt even notice , but yeah lots of filtration is good for any large tropical fish, but you may need to turn it off while feeding b/c they find their food by smell and lots of currents can disorient them while they are feeding.

 

[always4lora]

Senegals are not a chunky bichir so you don't need to wurry about them moving stuff about

 

[sthomas048]

Excellent stuff. Looking over some of the Fluval tanks now. Thank you both for your kind advice. Love these fish !

 

[GreenEyedTerror]

No problem bichirs are awesome, enjoy