Senegal Bichir Qs

[Sa777]

I have a large aggressive stocked with:
1 silver dollar (other 4 died mysteriously)
1 sun/eclipse catfish
1 pike cichlid (exact species unknown)
1 senegal bichir
1 plecostomus
I introduced the fish into the cycled tank in february of this year. Since then, all fish are substantially larger, except the senegal bichir. He has definately increased in length, but not much in girth. He was maybe 2.5 inches when introduced, now he is about 4-5. I'm concerned about his slow growth. The pike has been in the tank about half as long as him, but the pike is now nearly large enough to eat him (8 inches and much wider) . I feed him hiraki(?) Carnivore pellets. If i varied his diet, would his growth rate increase? What foods are my best option for fast growth? At what point should i consider seperating him from the pike? And finally, should i expect to see any sudden growth spurts? Thank you.

 

[superpeytonm]

I have a large aggressive stocked with:

1 silver dollar (other 4 died mysteriously)

1 sun/eclipse catfish

1 pike cichlid (exact species unknown)

1 senegal bichir

1 plecostomus

I introduced the fish into the cycled tank in february of this year. Since then, all fish are substantially larger, except the senegal bichir. He has definately increased in length, but not much in girth. He was maybe 2.5 inches when introduced, now he is about 4-5. I'm concerned about his slow growth. The pike has been in the tank about half as long as him, but the pike is now nearly large enough to eat him (8 inches and much wider) . I feed him hiraki(?) Carnivore pellets. If i varied his diet, would his growth rate increase? What foods are my best option for fast growth? At what point should i consider seperating him from the pike? And finally, should i expect to see any sudden growth spurts? Thank you.

How big is this tank? It must be pretty large to accommodate all these fish. It's important to vary his diet, but I'm not sure if that will make him grow faster. Every fish grows at different rates. Mine really likes freeze dried mealworms. You could try that.
Frozen foods work great, too, IME.

 

[Sa777]

How big is this tank? It must be pretty large to accommodate all these fish. It's important to vary his diet, but I'm not sure if that will make him grow faster. Every fish grows at different rates. Mine really likes freeze dried mealworms. You could try that.
Frozen foods work great, too, IME.

It is a 75 gallon tank, I know it will be overstocked when all fish are at max size, but not all of them are staying for the long run. Thanks for the advice, ill definately try meal worms. How has your bichir grown since you've bought him, just for comparison?

 

[superpeytonm]

I've had mine since September and he's grown about 2.5"