Senegal Bichir (Polypterus senegalus) by Fruitbat

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
They sure LOOK like eggs but I'm afraid they may be fungused. Polypterus eggs are usually clear with an amber-colored developing embryo. Still....worth a try to let them go for a while. It is possible that they were never fertilized. Regardless....you have a pair of Polypterus that seem interested in each other. If they spawned once...they'll spawn again.
 
Sob! Sob! I think you are right. Now that you have mention it, they looked like they are fungused and I sure don't see anything amber-coloured or moving in them. I'll keep them another few days just to observe, but I won't put much hope.

It was kinda exciting. Thanks anyway.
 
paulyeoh...

Take heart....if they spawned once then it means you have a compatible pair that will probably spawn again. Keep your eye out for a new set of eggs if this batch doesn't make it!
 
My bichir laid some more eggs yesterday but looked like the previous batch. white and opaque. So I presume they won't hatch.
 
The male may not be holding up his end of the bargain by not fertilizing them. They'll get the hang of it eventually!!!
 
I recently got 2 baby Senegals. One of them has ripped the right pectoral fin off the other and I have separated them. I was just wondering if there was any chance of it regenerating. Its pretty bad looking. He just has a very little bit of a stump left. You would probably have to see it to tell for sure, but if anyone knows if there's any chance for regeneration or not, I would appreciate your advice. Thank you.
 
MrDugg...

Is the fleshy base of the fin still left? If so...there is a slender chance that at least some of the fin will grow back. Otherwise....you'll have a senegalus that swims off-center. Could be a lot worse, I suppose. Keep an eye on the damage and make sure that a fungus infection doesn't get started.
 
He doesn't have much left, but there is a little bit of a stump. I've been keeping fish for quite a few years but I've never had to deal with anything like this before. Is there anything I should treat the water with to prevent infection? Again thanks for your advice.
 
Polypterus do a pretty good job of healing up from damage but they're sensitive to medications so, unless you actually see signs of infection at the site of the wound, I wouldn't add anything. If, however, you notice swelling or inflammation or white cottony stuff at the site of the wound then you should treat immediately. I recommend using one of the commercial medications available at half strength.
 
A patch of my polypterus tail had been bitten off by a turtle before. Also the pectoral fins had also been torn before. But now I have removed the turtle and the tail and fins have grown back very nicely. I have been lucky that my two polypteruses do not fight since I first got them.
 
Just would like to let you know that my baby's fin seems to be regenerating fine and he (I'm assuming its a he for now) has become a lot more active. His sibling terrorized him pretty bad but he's coming out of it now. Shame I had to separate them, but he didn't look like he was gonna make it if I didn't. Looks like he's doing fine now.
 
Good to hear that your polypterus is getting better. Anyway you can tell if it is male or female by refering to my previous pictures. Males have broad anal fins. I learnt this from Fruitbat.

Anyway, is it normal for polypteruses to fight anomg each other? I thought they are friendly. The tank in the fish shop has about a hundred in a small tank and they seem fine.
 
Yes....combats do occasionally occur between Polypterus, especially if you have two males in the aquarium. Just like with Tiger Barbs, if you have many of them in an aquarium then they don't have much of a chance to stake out a territory to fight about...but when there are only two in the tank then problems may occur.
 
Mr Fruitbat.

My female bichir has been regularly (about twice a month) laying eggs ( or something that looks like eggs anyway) but they all are still unfertilised. Hmmm....

I've had my bichirs less than a year. Had them when they're about 3". The female's about 8" and the male about 7" now. Can a bichir be mature enough to mate at such a young age?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Oscar fish
Replies
9
Views
355
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
T
Dwarf Gourami eye problem
Replies
1
Views
94
Aiken Drum
Aiken Drum
C
120 gallon community tank
Replies
1
Views
920
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
C
Six banded Distochodus (Distichodus sexfasciatus)
Replies
1
Views
958
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
A
Tanganyika Compatible with Senegal Bichir
Replies
0
Views
488
Arget
A

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom