Strange Dinosaur Bichir Behavior?

[Lyra0727]

I have 2 dinosaur bichirs in my 60 gallon tank. They are both 5 inches with a golden gourami, a opaline gourami, and two small kissing gouramis. I've had them since late january. I watch my fish very closely so I would know if something was wrong and the past two days they have been rubbing against eachother like a special dance.

Is this normal? If not what could be causing this and how can I help them...

 

[simonas]

I;ve never had this from bichirs I;lve owned in the past???

is it only against each other?

which type of bichir are they? any pics?

 

[Lyra0727]

Their senegal bichirs I believe. My camera doesnt take the best pictures.. But this is what I was able to get.

 

[simonas]

thats a senegal

lovely fish and look better the bigger they get

 

[Lyra0727]

They sure do I planned to get them for years and was so happy once I did. I got them together at my lfs and have never done this until two days ago. The smaller one trys to push the bigger one and the bigger one rubs against the smaller one. After a while they will stop and just lay on something.. normally the plants (the wood was a first ive seen)

They've grown 2 inches since Ive first got them.. but have never acted like that before. I havent added fish recently or anything new except for weekly water changes. So I'm not sure what's going on.

None of my other fish are acting weird and I also forgot to mention I have a african brown knife fish. I forget sometimes that I have him since he hides so much.

 

[simonas]

africa knife fish are ace as well and will live perfectly with the bichirs

Maybe its just some territorial behaviour kicking in now they are growing a lottle older

 

[Lyra0727]

I was going to get a BGK but they get to big for my 60 gallon.. So I got a african brown knife, which I love seeing him when he comes out. I was thinking about getting a couple dojo loaches but with my bichirs acting weird I think I've changed my mind. But I never expected the Bichirs to have a territoral issues.. not with how much space they have in there. Maybe against the gouramis sure but they only do that to eachother. Plus it doesnt seem like their hurting eachother, you never see any wounds on them.

Although they calmed down now. Except now the kissing gouramis keeps trying to kiss one of them. So strange.. I just got my water tested last sunday and everything was fine. But I think I'll get it tested again tonight since I have to go back to my lfs anyway. Just to be on the safe side.

 

[Lyra0727]

So hours after posting this post I ran into a site about breeding bichirs.. It sounds a lot like what mine are doing. So I'm going to assume that is what is going on.

http/www.aquaticcommunity.com/predatory/breedingbichir.php

 

[simonas]

I don;t know whether they are or not as know nothing of bichir breeding but I;d be surprised if they were ready to breed at 5 inches. they're only babies

 

[Lyra0727]

I thought they would be to young as well but the site is explaining exactly what they are doing.. The water tested out fine, everything was perfect so that couldnt be it either. They havent started up again for 2 hours now. They are jump laying around which I admit isnt exactly normal either.. Maybe I'm feeding them to much.. hmm..

They eat about 30 minos a week with blood worms as snacks every day.. (i dont have the heart to cut worms up and they wont eat anything else advice on that would be great. Starting to breed other fish so I wont have to keep buying minos that probably arent as healthy just have to get the cycle going!)

But I dont know how that would cause them to act as strange as they have been. Only would explain the slumpieness. :\

 

[simonas]

happy days so watch this space then!!!

food wise I found my bichirs took ages to settle in feeding wise then all of a sudden they would become really bold and eat greedily and grow to match their eating

Mine eat a lot of sinking catcfish pellets, prawns, lancefish and brine shrimp. I never fed live food I don;t think you;d need to

 

[Lyra0727]

When they were smaller I would only give them bloodworms and the tetra sinking pellets that the fish happen to not get.. But once they got to around 4 inches they started eating the fins off my gouramis. Poor things.. one lost a complete fin on one side but still survived! Thats when I brought the minnos in. Since then as long as they have some every week they usually behaved.. Kind of afraid to take them off now.
(Although its tempting to see if maybe they'll put my male gourami in his place and solve my issue there)

I've tried other frozen foods and pellets but they wouldnt touch any of it. Thats what I get for spoiling my fish..haha youd think i'd learn some day!

 

[always4lora]

You'll be lucky to get any breeding between them, they do rub against each other from time to time and when i had 8-9 of them they'd do this quite a lot. Most likely just socialising.

If you do plan on breeding them you're best setting up a dedicated tank for it.

 

[Lyra0727]

You'll be lucky to get any breeding between them, they do rub against each other from time to time and when i had 8-9 of them they'd do this quite a lot. Most likely just socialising.

If you do plan on breeding them you're best setting up a dedicated tank for it.

No I'm not trying to breed them at all. It scared me thinking for a second they were.. if they did what on earth would I do with so many! My lfs wouldnt take them and no one in my area has aquariums.. not ones big enough anyway. I'm relieved to hear that their behavior is normal, now I wont worry about it anymore. Thank you for letting me know

A quick question.. what do you happen to feed them since you have so many? Mine are costing me a fortune because they are so picky when it comes to food. I dont have the heart to cut worms up so I cant try that.. They only sometimes eat the sinking tettra food that my gouramis dont get to. Otherwise its bloodworms and feeder fish. But the bloodworms dont satasify them enough.

 

[always4lora]

I've cut down my stocking now sold my largest ones including my 18inch Congicus
Feeding is best on pellets, they will eat them , i use hikari massivore or NLS extreme for the larger ones and hikari carnivore for the smaller ones. For treats you can feed them lance fish , worms chopped or whole, if they not chopped bichirs will death roll them and rip them themselves. Avoid prawns for regular food.
Theres a member on another site who made some food up for stingrays that i feed my rays and the bichir's loved it, you basically get some agar agar power or gelatin pop it in a blender with boiling water and some pellets, stick some spiranula powder in and whatever else you have around and blend it , stick it in the fridge until it sets then feed it in jellied cubes.
Iput some earthworms, lance fish, couple of varieties of pellets in mine.