Son of a Bichir!

[Javentule]

My little bichir has grown! I think he's at least two inches longer than he was, plus he's got a pretty portly belly on him. I put a couple pictures of my tank in the forum alloted for those kinds of things if you want to see.

Anyone know how to tell a male Ornate from a female? I thought it had something to do with the number of stripes on their anal fins?

I've been feeding the tank omega one tropical flake, and sinking shrimp pellets. Also, Wardley's tropical crumbles and of course, a variety of frozen food. I'm thinking the bulk of the bichir's diet are the sinking pellets, though, as the other fish gobble up the frozen stuff like crazy. I've also got a healthy bunch of snails going on.. think he's eating those, too?

He really likes all the plants to lurk and cruise around in. Eventually, along with a bigger tank, I'll have to give him a bigger hiding spot. For now he loves his Hole In the Log. What do you give your large Oddballs to hide in/under/around?

 

[beblondie]

Same as any and all bichirs the males anal fin is wider and more muscular than the females
Mine have lots of fake plants to hide in and under -Anne

 

[Fruitbat]

Give a Polypterus ornatipinnis anything that it can hide in or under and it probably will!

Good to hear that yours is growing well. You're probably right on the mark when you surmise that the Ornate is primarily eating the pellets. It is unlikely that it is paying much attention to any sort of flake food.

-Joe

 

[isu_guy]

What do you give your large Oddballs to hide in/under/around?

For my black ghost knife (6-7 inches) I have provided a fairly large pot that I broke so that forms a very shallow tunnel/cave, I then concealed some of the larger opening with a rock arch that I built (maybe 10 small flat rocks that I siliconed together to form an arch). It has By looking at it you wouldn't think he can turn around in there and would just have to go in one side out the other but he seems to have no problem... must be a flexible fish

 

[SirMinion]

Our Ornate has a large pipe in which to hide. He spend 90% of his time in there with his face peeping out of one end looking for anything that might be edible to float by.

Once an hour, he emerges, does a circuit of the tank and then goes back to skulking in his pipe.

Here's a photo:

 

[Javentule]

Man, Sir Minion! I love the pictures of your feeesh.

I really like how active my bichir is - I thought he'd be a total lurker, but he's actually reather personable (unless I've got the camera out).

beblondie - Arr! It's always so hard when you have to compare one to the other for sexing. If you don't know if you have one or the other AND you don't have someone else to compare to, how the heck will you know? It's a mystery. I guess my fish won't be too offended if I regard him/her on androgenous terms


I think getting some ground-cover type plants would be cool - except none of my fish stores carry anything like that. Just as well, though, they might be beyond my ability as a gardener anyway. )

 

[OrkyBetta]

I don't know a thing about bichirs, but might I say, great title!