So Could I

[atmmachine816]

So I saw somebody else do it in another board but I though I'd better ask here could I keep a senegal bichir in a 29 gallon tank with two full grown angels and a BN pleco?

thanks

Austin

 

[pacuboy]

No. Unless you get rid of your pleco you probelly can for a little while. Number 1 the pleco would suck the poor bichir to death. Number 2 the tank is to small. You can get one as long as it is not to big for the fish tank. Take the pleco out. Alex.P.S Put some caves into the tank,bichirs like to hide.

 

[Gankutsuou]

if the 29 is three feet long by 1 foot wide, I'd say yes. And there are cases with plecos sucking on them...

 

[atmmachine816]

tank is 30" long 13" deep. Could I possibly expierement with the pleco and if it starts sucking on it rehome it or would it be too late then?

 

[Gankutsuou]

no. the tank has to be a minimum of 3 feet long to house for life on the senegal. MINIMUM. 3 foot.

sorry.

 

[atmmachine816]

So why do they even make 29s why can't they just make all 30 gallon tanks only difference is 29 is higher and 30 is longer, not fair.

 

[beblondie]

I wouldn't recomend two grown angelfish and a senegal in a 30 gallon anyways.Now as for why they make 29 gallon tanks some fish ie. angelfish, discus etc require more depth then length whileothers need length instead of depth-Anne

 

[atmmachine816]

Ya I know it just makes me mad because even when the angels die I won't be able to get a senegal since they will probably die in the next couple years.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i'm sure that when the time comes, you'll be able to find some other interesting replacement

 

[atmmachine816]

Yes but I'v always been fascinated by bichirs and ABF's and I can't get either since tank is too small for bichir and ABF jumps and I'm going to end up having an open tank soon hopefully and parents won't let me get another tank so it'l be another 8-10 years before I can get either one

Are there any other small weird fish I could get?

 

[Fruitbat]

I'd like to chime in on this one because I have a slightly different perspective that may be more to atmmachine's liking. A 29 gallon will house a young Polypterus senegalus very comfortably for a number of years and, though I would personally go for a wider tank, could probably house all but the largest P. senegalus for life. I certainly disagree with Gankutsuou's statement that a P. senegalus would require a tank that is a minimum of three feet long and I wonder where he/she came up with that figure.

Granted, in the best of all possible worlds the aquarium would be in the neighborhood of twice the width of the adult size of the bichir but a 29 is a relatively spacious tank (same footprint as a 20 gallon long....which is what I use as a grow-out aquarium for my 6 - 9 inch bichirs). You could even get away with a few tank-mates in a 29 gallon as long as the tank-mates weren't overly aggressive and/or territorial.

I wouldn't risk a bichir with the 'pleco'-type cat, however. Once the slime coat of a bichir (or any other fish) is damaged it leaves the fish susceptible to all sorts of infections and as tough as bichirs are they can die from the same infections that other fish do. Get rid of the 'pleco' and add a good-sized species of Synodontis cat as your bottom cleaner crew. If you have an algae problem the Synodontis won't be much help but that's what a good algae scraper is for anyway.

NOTE I just noticed that atmmachine seems to be talking about an open-topped aquarium and that is a deal-killer all by itself. Bichirs are renowned escape artists and require a tank with a complete and secure cover that has all of the possible escape routes blocked.

-Joe

 

[Gankutsuou]

Where did I come up with that figure, hmmm?

Most sites actually suggest more than three feet.

http/fish.mongabay.com/species/Polypterus_senegalus.html suggest 40 inch long for a full grown
http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile41.html suggest 48 inches
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34889 our own fourm says 30, which are usually 3 feet.

sorry for my irrational thinking, as the exact number of 3 feet never came in, and everything else suggests a little more except for our very own site. I also keep peacock eels, which reach around the same length, and their minimum is 3 feet, so I was probably thinking about them. But I still say 3 feet WOULD be nice.

And yes, open hooded tank would be bad. Mine is near the surface quite often, (they breath through their lung like things. forget the exact name, check the lings for more.), and I think if they thought they saw anything attractive, it'd be *JUMP*, and then if you didn't notice in around 2-3 hours, it'd be a goner. Easily dead in your sleep. sorry mate.

and I wouldn't stick a bichir with any real type of algea eating pleco, but check out Queen Arabesues if you're hardcore on getting one. I also have a clown.... I'm unsure when he may get eaten... but every time my senegal gets inside the slate cave he gets headbutted out, and now that the queen is in there, he doesn't bother.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

also, if you're dead set on an "open topped" tank, look into getting a wire lid for a reptile tank. you'd have to modifiy it for use with an external filter, but that's just a matter of pulling out the tin-snips.

 

[Ranger]

[quote name='pacuboy' post='1389097' date='Nov 26 2006, 03:10 PM']
Number 1 the pleco would suck the poor bichir to death. [/quote]
I was just reading this thread when I noticed this. I have a senegal and pleco in a 55gal. The Pleco is considerably larger than the Senegal and I actually have only seen the Pleco "suck" on the senegal once before ever. I thought that the pleco was either being dumb and just trying to find some algae or he was telling the Senegal to get away. Do pleco's and Senegals not get along?

P.S. I don't mean to ninja this thread...

EDIT:
[quote name='Fruitbat' post='1389097' date='Nov 26 2006, 03:10 PM'
I wouldn't risk a bichir with the 'pleco'-type cat, however. Once the slime coat of a bichir (or any other fish) is damaged it leaves the fish susceptible to all sorts of infections and as tough as bichirs are they can die from the same infections that other fish do. Get rid of the 'pleco' and add a good-sized species of Synodontis cat as your bottom cleaner crew. If you have an algae problem the Synodontis won't be much help but that's what a good algae scraper is for anyway.[/quote]

I just read further and saw this. I'm guessing that means I have to remove my pleco or my senegal will die? I never really noticed a porblem besides the 1 time.

 

[Fruitbat]

Allow me to clarify. I'm not personally recommending a 29 gallon as the perfect tank for a Polypterus senegalus but it is certainly possible to keep one in a tank of that size for quite some time. For bichirs the ideal aquarium is long and wide...which is why the so-called 'breeder' tanks are very useful.

Regarding the problems with 'pleco' type catfish and bichirs, it seems that individual sucker-mouthed catfish will take a liking to the slime coating on the bichir's ganoid scales and will latch on to the bichir and use their rasping mouthparts to scrape off the slime. This leaves the bichir with damaged areas on its scales that are susceptible to various bacterial and fungal infections that can, in extreme cases, be fatal to the bichir. I've known people who have kept 'pleco' type catfish with bichirs for many years without any problems but there are also enough reports of bad interactions to make keeping the two types of fish together a risky proposition at best. Personally, I just don't consider the risks worthwhile.

-Joe