Senegal Bichir

[Rxblade123]

Can these be hand tamed to eat from your hand? I have a four inch bichir that doesn't seem to get much food since the guppies usually get it first. Well the guppies will probably get eaten soon, but it would be pretty cool to see it feed from my hand.

 

[Fruitbat]

Rxblade123....

Yes....they can be. I have a couple of year-old P. senegalus that will come to the surface to take food (especially bloodworms and beef heart) from my fingers. I've got a Rope Fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) that will do the same.

Of course...once a bichir gets larger you might not WANT it to take food from your hands.

This is a skull preparation of a Polypterus endlicheri that was done by a member of another forum I frequent.

-Joe

 

[megladonsharky]

what family is this fish and how big do they get???

 

[Fruitbat]

megalodonsharky.....

All of these fish are in the Family Polypteridae. They range in size from the smaller types like Polypterus senegalus (about 12 inches long) to the larger types like Polypterus endlicheri congicus which reaches about 36 inches. As you can see by their dentition, they are all predatory (but not particularly aggressive) fish.

-Joe

 

[Rxblade123]

*Imagines a 12 inch Senegal Bichir dangling from my hand* Ouch... lol. I'm going to throw some blood worms in the tank and see if he/she can get some. Yesterday when I put some flakes into the tank for the guppies, the bichir seemed to swim around the tank as it was trying to find the food. I've counted my guppies, well the adults anyways and they are still all here. Not sure about the guppy fry. Never counted. Oh btw, how do you prounouce Bichir? The LFS guy said it once, but I forgot lol..

 

[megladonsharky]

Fruitbat/ Joe
Thank you so much

 

[whitetiger_CJ]

Rxblade123, bichir is pronounced the same as biker. at 4 in the bichir should start to eat your guppies. if you are worried about you bichir getting food, then I would give him some bottom feeder pellets, or a shrimp pellet. my senegal will eat them from my hand. but he seems to like plankton alot more.

 

[Veneer]

Oh btw, how do you prounouce Bichir? The LFS guy said it once, but I forgot lol..

A great deal of controversy surrounds that matter - see this link.

 

[Toirtis]

Oh btw, how do you prounouce Bichir? The LFS guy said it once, but I forgot lol..

A great deal of controversy surrounds that matter - see this link.

Hey...Anne plaigerised that from me! Now I'm gonna have to go...um....menace her or something.

 

[beblondie]

behave or i'll come to Canada and kiss ya
Actually i forgot where it came from but i just gave you credit

 

[Toirtis]

behave or i'll come to Canada and kiss ya

If that is a promise, I have just forgotten how to behave altogether!

 

[Rxblade123]

Umm.. back to the subject, how do you tame the bichir to feed from your hand?

 

[Toirtis]

Just keep offering favourite foods from your hand. I would suggest doing this in dim-lighting, and remember to move your hand in very slowly and be very patient.

 

[beblondie]

thought I answered it lol musta got lost but yup as toirtis said hold the food in your hand and let the senegal come to you however once it associates your hand with food every time your hands in the tank you'll have company good news is small mouth small teeth not more than a pinch really-Anne

 

[Rxblade123]

I can handle a pinch. Will the bichir latch on to your hand and not let go though? If it does how can you make it let go without hurting it? Btw I don't think my bichir has eaten any guppies, is my bichir lazy or just not interested in them?

 

[Toirtis]

He will let go quite quickly...probably will not even break the skin. As far as the guppies go, he is probably too well fed on stationary food to go chasing after them.

 

[Rxblade123]

Oh ok...Thanks for help!

 

[unknown_7]

I dunno for some reason my doesn't go after my feeder guppies or rosy red minnows, he is very timid and hardly comes out even in the night. The only thing mine eats are frozen shrimp that you get at your regular local grocery store and that is it. I dunno why mine is so different.

 

[Rxblade123]

I've seen my Bichir go after some guppies earlier, but only when he bumps into them. Other than that he doesn't seem to pay attention to them. Try ghost shrimp, I put in some earlier today and right now my Bichir has full round belly and no shrimp left over.