Senegal Bichir Question

[westward13]

I just bought a Senegal Bichir this afternoon and I absolutely love this fish! As of right now, I've got a fairly open aquarium and I'm wondering what I can add that would provide him with some needed shelter and/or hiding places(I've got a picture of my "tropical looking" aquarium in my gallery). I'm also curious as to what lengths I should go at this point to ensure that he doesn't escape. He's currently about 2 1/2 inches long and the only opening would be the back inch or so behind the glass aquarium lid.

 

[Toirtis]

Plants and some rockwork works well, but leave some open spaces for swimming. Try to cover that space at the back, especially if your water level is near the top.

You need to know that this guy is going to grow explosively to 7"-8"...really, you will practically see him growing. In the next 3 months, as he gets up there, he will swallow your: Banjo Catfish, Albino Cory Catfish, Bronze Cory Catfish, Giant Danios, Red Velvet Swordtails, Red Velvet Swordtail Fry. Each and every one of them...usually at night.

As well, it is not a good idea to keep most plecos ith bichirs...they tend to rasp on the bichirs, damaging the scale ganoin, resulting in nasty infections.

 

[westward13]

I plan on getting a 10 g tank to transfer the cory cats and several of the swordtails to. The danios have to be too fast for the bichir to be able to catch them and I almost wish I didn't separate the swordtail fry for a month because now they're at a size where they're not small enough to be considered food for any of the other fish I have in the tank... at least not as of right now. If the bichir or tinfoil barb were larger, I'd imagine they'd be gone already. But the pleco and bichir in the same tank could potentially be a problem, huh? That's not good news. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on that situation as the two of them get larger.

What do you recommend I cover up the back of the tank with? Obviously something waterproof that I can cut out that's also non-toxic but I'm not entirely sure what would work best.

 

[westward13]

The banjo cat will be transferred to the 10 gallon as well...

 

[Toirtis]

IThe danios have to be too fast for the bichir to be able to catch them

Don't bet on it...bichirs hunt at night (primarily by scent) when other fish are sleeping and motionless.

What do you recommend I cover up the back of the tank with? Obviously something waterproof that I can cut out that's also non-toxic but I'm not entirely sure what would work best.

Piece of acrylic, lexan, or plexi works well, or glass, if you have a cutter.

 

[madasafish]

Hehe. Toitis is right. I lost a couple of danios to an enterprising one-eyed senegal bichir.

 

[Fruitbat]

I'll add my agreement to the previous comments. The Corydoras will probably be alright for a while...I keep 'Cory'-sized Synodontis catfish with my bichirs without any problems. Of course...the Synodontis will eventually grow to a decent size whereas the Corys will stop at about 3 inches or so. I have kept larger-sized African tetras like Congo Tetras with full-grown Polypterus senegalus with minimal losses but I certainly wouldn't try that with bigger flavors of bichirs like endlicheri.

 

[Toirtis]

Heh...ask me about the school of 8 half-grown Corydoras barbatus and the two bristlenose cats I lost to a 14" ornate bichir....boy have I been there.

 

[Fruitbat]

Yep....small Corydoras with large ornatipinnis = fat bichir and missing Cory cats. With the size of the senegalus we're talking about here it will probably be a while before it is a threat to the Corys. However....I personally wouldn't push my luck TOO far!!

 

[Toirtis]

Yep....small Corydoras with large ornatipinnis = fat bichir and missing Cory cats.

Hey, those were 3" corys! I cried a lot that day.

 

[westward13]

And so it has begun... I woke up this morning to one less swordtail fry and a slightly chubby bichir.

Last night I picked up a 10g aquarium kit which I should have up and running on a fishless cycle by the weekend so the cory cats and banjo cat should have a safer home in no time. Unfortunately, there's probably not enough room in the 10g for all of the danios and swordtails I've got (and a 10g is all I've got room for), so the jury is still out on what to do with them. Any suggestions? Is it morally wrong to leave them in the 75g knowing that one day they'll become a meal?

 

[Toirtis]

Is it morally wrong to leave them in the 75g knowing that one day they'll become a meal?

Nah, thats what danios and livebearers are for.

Flakes are what food eats....