Yep....ANOTHER one! Polypterus weeksii

[Fruitbat]

Here's the latest addition to my bichir 'collection'. This one is Polypterus weeksii. He came in to one of my favorite local stores and I simply couldn't resist!! He's about 6 inches long (and may eventually get to over 2 feet).

 

[Dusty_az]

Thats a cool looking fish!!

 

[Toirtis]

Congrats...thats one of the few I do not yet have.

 

[rubysoho]

how big of a tank does this guy need? are there any smaller breeds that are similar? they are just so cool!

 

[Fruitbat]

rubysoho....

At full size this character will need at least a 55 gallon tank and preferrably one that is a bit wider than the standard 55. Fortunately it takes years for them to reach full size (there are records of Polypterus living over 30 years in captivity).

Polypterus senegalus is one of the smaller bichirs, one of the most active, and the most commonly available. It will reach a mature size of about 12 inches. They are available from PetCo and PetSmart as 'dinosaur eels' (though they're certainly NOT eels). I bought 5 baby ones at PetSmart a few months ago (all under 2 inches)....the largest is now a little over 4 inches. They're not the most colorful bichir by any means but in my opinion they're one of the most personable.

Here's one of my 'babies':

Polypterus palmas palmas and Polypterus palmas polli are other good options. Again...both are relatively small (12 inches) and quite active, though not as commonly available as P. senegalus.

Here's my Polypterus palmas polli:

 

[rubysoho]

awesome, I think I am going to look them up some more