Bichir & Elephant Nose Tank Mate Discussion (Need help)

[ElephantNose98]

Hello all.



I am going to be getting a bichir (either Senegal or Delhzi) along with an Elephant Nose Fish. They will start in my rectangular 75 gallon tank.



I was hoping to get some advice on what else can go in the tank?



I was looking at the following:

Gourami's - any thoughts?

Angelfish or Discus - any thoughts?

Congo Tetras and/or Beckford's Pencilfish - any thoughts?

Red Tail Shark? - I really like this but do not know if it can work?



ALSO OPEN TO MORE IDEAS JUST DROP THEM BELOW



Thank you all

[Fishlegend]

Definetlly would not put discus in there. red tails start fairly small, but yes they would fit well since they have lil barbels and lil mouths like the elphant nose they would look amazing in here, You can get albino and glofish red fin sharks too!

If i remeber correctly bichir are predators so if you get that becarefull with red tails as they will go in the mouth like ramen noodels, congos would look stunning in this heavily planted tank no matter what you decide on putting in congos will look good

https://www.aquariumsource.com/elephant-nose-fish/ Im guessing you looked at this site although it lists discus discus are beautifully fish in planted 75s but I just feel they are subject to attack by ammonia and bichir bites but its possible it could work.

If you go the birchir route you could go with a really nice center piece fish like a flowerhorn. You could try oscars but you have to make sure enough food reaches the bottom for the birchirs.

[Fishlegend]

Birchir:The minimum recommended tank size for these fish is around 90 gallons for one. The size of these fish and their activity level means they need ample room so they can swim and feel comfortable.

There are a lot of owners who have kept bichir in tanks as small as 40 gallons but we disagree with this approach. While they might survive we always recommend that you give your fish the optimal habitat for them to be happy and healthy.

One of the nice things about bichir is that they do well with a variety of habitat decorations. You can add plants, driftwood, or caves and they won’t mind one way or the other.

You can also keep them in a more sparse tank too. These fish aren’t picky!

Finding compatible bichir tank mates is all about managing size and potential for aggression. As we’ve said, these fish can be aggressive and are naturally carnivores.

This means that any species their size or smaller is probably not a good idea. They might get picked on or even eaten!

Fish that are a bit bigger make much better bichir tank mates because they won’t be confused with food and are too large to get bullied. Some examples of this are:
Oscar fish
Flowerhorn cichlids
African knife
Clown Loaches
Jack Dempsey fish
Silver Dollar fish

You’ll also want to make sure that their tank mates allow enough food to reach the bottom of the tank. A bichir can easily become underfed if this is the case, which can lead to health issues or increased aggression.

[ElephantNose98]

Originally Posted by Fishlegend

Definetlly would not put discus in there. red tails start fairly small, but yes they would fit well since they have lil barbels and lil mouths like the elphant nose they would look amazing in here, You can get albino and glofish red fin sharks too!

Do you think red tail or albino will cause problems tho for the other fish?

[Fishlegend]

Not at all!