Telling Bichirs apart

[plainlazy]

Is there a good way to tell the Senegal and the Delhezi apart? I swear I've seen them both in the same tank selling as just Senegals.

 

[beblondie]

Senegals have no pattern they are usually green to gray with white or cream colored tummies

delhezis have black vertical stripes and are usually grey to silverish base color

 

[astroboy]

senegal

delhezi

 

[plainlazy]

Ok cool, that's what I thought.....I've seen them both selling as Dinosaur Eels and just Poly Senegalis.....

The Senegalis never gets stripes?

Should there be a price difference between them?

 

[astroboy]

senegals have lateral lines when young, but fade as they get older.

Delhezis are more expensive. If you see one priced as a senegal then its a steal

 

[plainlazy]

Nice, thanks for the help I think a Delhezi will be the next thing I put in our tank.

One more question though, is a sand substrate absolutely necessary, or will he be ok with a larger gravel?

 

[astroboy]

Many people use bare bottom, sand and gravel.
Bare is the safest when it comes to choking on gravel (also the cleanest, but the fish def appreciate substrate, makes them feel much more secure), many use sand (a little more maintenance, much better looking, and very safe when it comes to choking), and many also use gravel (generally safe, bichirs normally spit out ingested gravel, but the risk is always there, i have had a bichir die from gravel and heard of a couple other peoples bichirs die from swallowing gravel as well)

Are you from the westcoast or eastcoast?

 

[plainlazy]

Damn I have gravel in my 75 right now....I don't want him to choke to death, my girlfriend doesn't handle fish deaths well

Might have to reconsider the Delhezi but damn they are cool fish Maybe I'll look at switching to sand if my other fish can handle it....

I'm west coast, Alberta actually. We're headin to Vancouver tomorrow for the Nine Inch Nails concert