Delhezi Bichir hunger strike

[Luananeko]

My Delhezi Bichir was previously more than happy to eat beefheart, silver sides, and black worms, but recently has gone on a hunger strike... I spoiled him with some live pest crabs that I caught in my saltwater tank and he managed to snag a couple of my Congo Tetras that didn't quite grow faster than him. Ever since then, he's trying to use the beefheart as bait for the other fish, and he keeps lurking to try and catch more fish. I've tried offering market shrimp, scallops, crab meat, silver sides, beefheart, blackworms, live earthworms, and massivore pellets, but he's snubbed them all.

Is there any way to convince him to go back to not trying to hunt, or do I just need to cut my losses and pull the Congo Tetras now? Maybe if I isolated him in a 20g long bare bottom tank for a short time to keep him away from the tetras until he takes food again? Or would he just go back to his old tricks the moment he had fishy temptations again?

He's in a 75g with 2 Angels, 6 Congo Tetras, 6 Goyder River Rainbows, 4 Boesemani Rainbows, and 1 Turquoise Rainbow at the moment. The bichir is around 9" right now. The angels, 4 Goyder River Rainbows, and 1 Turquoise Rainbow are all full grown and not at risk of being eaten, but the others were restocks after I had a problem with an Opaline Gourami killing half my tank... I got the largest I could find to replace, but no one sells Rainbows or Congo Tetras larger than 2-3"

 

[King Fisher]

You might try a tank divider and isolate him. Maybe if he sees them but can't get to them he'll give up on it??

 

[Luananeko]

You might try a tank divider and isolate him. Maybe if he sees them but can't get to them he'll give up on it??

Hmm, my only concern with trying a divider is that if he finds a way to bypass it (over the top, under, etc) then the fish are trapped in an even smaller area and are even more at risk. Plus the aquascape is kinda tricky to put a divider through due to the placement of all the live plants... Here's an older pic prior to the gourami rampage.

Basically there's driftwood with anubias running down most of the tank, plus the crypts in the front and 3 large amazon swords in the back... I'm running a deeper sand bed, so I try not to disturb it by rearranging.

 

[King Fisher]

Something like this.......

toyuto 11.6" x 16.9" 29 Gallon Fish Tank Acrylic Divider Aquarium Isolation Board https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB2G457/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n5QwCb665XHH9

I get what you are saying about all the plants. Maybe you can place it in an area between a plant and slightly above the bottom??

 

[Luananeko]

Something like this.......

toyuto 11.6" x 16.9" 29 Gallon Fish Tank Acrylic Divider Aquarium Isolation Board https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB2G457/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n5QwCb665XHH9

I get what you are saying about all the plants. Maybe you can place it in an area between a plant and slightly above the bottom??

Yep, I've seen those before.

Sadly with how good an escape artist Bichir are, any sort of gap at the bottom is effectively the same as having no barrier at all. Since the tetras and rainbows tend to be more towards the surface, they'd be the only ones the barrier would work on