question about Polypterus senegalus?

[zao]

Hey people!
I have a quick question about Polypterus senegalus. I was thinking about getting one for my new tank that I am currenly setting up. It is a 30gal tank. But what I was woundering would a Polypterus senegalus be all right in it? or would he sooner or later out grow the tank? I am also saving up for a 125Gal tank for my fire eel, when he get big enough. So could the Polypterus senegalus and my fire eel be in the same tank, when I get the 125gal?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I'm afraid a Senegal would be too large to house in a 30 gallon (I believe they grow to about a foot in length).

 

[Toirtis]

A typical 30 would be fairly cramped for an adult Senegal (and they grow quickly), but he would be right happy in the 125 with the fire eel (who would be quite safe so long as he was bigger than the Senegal).

 

[zao]

Well thank you for the information! I figured that he would probably out grow the 30gal. I am probably just going to have to wait on one of those for a while, I got 4 balla shark and 2 black fin sharks going to the 125 when they get big enough too. cause I have a feeling that they will sooner or later out grow the 37gal. And I don't want the Senegal to eat my bella and black fin sharks.

 

[patryuji]

If you get a senegalus that is about 3-4 inches long you have roughly 6-9 months before you will have to move it from the 30 gallon tank. My polypterus grew from around 3.5" in length to 7" in length in 4 months.

It won't eat anything which is too big to fit its mouth...black fin and bala sharks get pretty big and should be just fine. At 7" in length my polypterus is unable to eat an algae disk or sinking tablet/wafer unless I break it into smaller pieces. I have a smaller yo-yo loach that looks smaller in diameter than the polypterus' mouth yet they have been together for the entire time I've kept the polypterus (the poly has "looked" big enough to eat the yo-yo for about a month now). Unlike some fish, these guys may get up to 18" in length (I believe 12-14 is more common in aquariums though) but their head/mouth is relatively little of the size. It looks like (from mine) that at full size of around 14" it will probably only be able to eat fish of around 3" size and smaller.

(on a funny side note I have seen the poly grab one of my clown loaches by the tail and toss it aside to get to some food).

I was going to get a 50 gallon to put the clowns and poly in but ended up with a 75 gallon tank instead...waiting for when they outgrow their current tank.

 

[Toirtis]

If you get a senegalus that is about 3-4 inches long you have roughly 6-9 months before you will have to move it from the 30 gallon tank. My polypterus grew from around 3.5" in length to 7" in length in 4 months.

That is a slow-growing Senegal.

It won't eat anything which is too big to fit its mouth...black fin and bala sharks get pretty big and should be just fine.

Yes...once they are 'pretty big', but they grow a lot more slowly than the bichir will, and being a long, slender sort of fish themselves, they will be at risk when small.

Unlike some fish, these guys may get up to 18" in length (I believe 12-14 is more common in aquariums though) but their head/mouth is relatively little of the size. It looks like (from mine) that at full size of around 14" it will probably only be able to eat fish of around 3" size and smaller.

18"? Are you referring to the P. senegalus? They get to 12", and the rare 13", but no larger.

 

[patryuji]

I feed my polypterus well...I thought it was quite fast growth but I have never owned a polypterus before. (its diet consists of frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, and sinking tablets (various)).

I just realized I have another slender fish which will definitely fit in its mouth right now in the same tank with it (a siamese algae eater which is more slender than the yo-yo loach but the same length).

12-18 inches is what I have always read in books and at various online fish profile websites.

 

[zao]

Well thank you patryuji, for the more information. Well now I am more leading towards on getting one of those. Cause the Fire eel(Zao) is about 6" now, and two of my bella sharks are about 3" the other two are about 2" and my black-fin sharks are about 3" too. Oh yeah are polypterus also known as Pamus Eels. Cause that is what they are called at the lfs?

 

[Fruitbat]

zao...

Pet stores and fish distributors make up all sorts of names to try to sell their fish. I've seen Polypterus senegalus sold as 'dinosaur eels', 'biker eels', and all sorts of other goofy names. Perhaps your lfs means 'Palmas eels' because one of the more commonly available bichirs is Polypterus palmas polli. Of course...pet stores have a tendency to misidentify the species of Polypterus that they have.

Polypterids are NOT eels of any kind.

 

[zao]

Yeah I had a feeling that it was some kind of catchey name to try and sell there fish. Cause my lfs also had the same type of species a while back before they had the Pamus Eels and I really don't rember the hole name but it was called dinosaur something eel. A real catchey name for it.

 

[Toirtis]

12-18 inches is what I have always read in books and at various online fish profile websites.

Ah, they are likely referring to a number of commonly available species that typically attain sizes within that range.

 

[Toirtis]

Polypterids are NOT eels of any kind.

LOL...beat me to it!