What should I feed my bichir?
Feeding. The bichir is a carnivore, and very rarely eats dried foods. Therefore, a diet of frozen or live foods is recommended for larger fish, including shrimp, baitfish, mussels, and earthworms. Smaller specimens will also eat mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp.
What can I feed my dinosaur Bichir?
Dinosaur bichir diet Bichirs need a large assortment of living, frozen, and freeze-dried food, such as bloodworms, shrimp, brine shrimp, earthworms, and other small fish. While the dinosaur bichir is a nocturnal fish species, it is possible to change when they eat.
What do you feed a saddled bichir?
Feeding: Feed meaty live foods such as black worms, blood worms, and earthworms along with frozen foods such as brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and beef heart. Dried foods are not always accepted, but eventually most Bichirs will accept a quality pellet, tablet, or stick that is suitable to their size.
What is the minimum tank size for a bichir?
around 90 gallonsTank Size. 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.
Do bichirs like sand?
Sand will make it easier for the bichirs to find food, and is easier to keep clean.
Do bichirs like plants?
Plants and Decorations Unlike many other large fish Bichirs are very easy on plants, substrates, and decorations. They don't dig into gravel, uproot plants, or move caves about.
What temperature do bichirs like?
between 72 and 82°FThey thrive in shallow waters, though much to the chagrin of dedicated aquarists, these bichirs are likely to Houdini their ways out of tanks that do not have tight fitting lids. Waters should be maintained with temperatures between 72 and 82°F, pH of 6.0 to 8.0, and hardness between 5 and 25°H.
Does bichir jump?
Bichirs are prompt to jump when in fright or when chasing each other of their own kind or kena chased by other predators. It is a MUST to cover up your tank!
How big does a bichir fish get?
Most species grow to between 30 and 60 cm (11.8 and 23.6 inches) long. Some members of the largest two species, the saddled bichirs (P. endlicherii) and Congo bichirs (P. congicus), grow to lengths of 75 cm (29.5 inches) and 97 cm (38.2 inches) and weights of 3.3 kg (7.3 pounds) and 4.4 kg (9.7 pounds), respectively.
How can you tell if a bichir is male or female?
Sexes can be told apart by looking at the anal fins. Male bichirs would have a broader anal fin than the females. However, this is only true for mature males and not the young ones. Also, males seem to have thicker dorsal spines than the females, though normally, females tend to be larger than the males.
Can a bichir live with an Oscar?
While nowhere near as large as Peacock Bass, Oscars are still large predators so be careful when keeping them with smaller Bichirs. However any of the medium to large species are excellent tank mates. As South American natives Oscars prefer soft, slightly acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5).
Can bichirs choke on food?
Interestingly enough, I found gravel in a minority of them, some of which it was evident the gravel was the cause of death. Following the digestive tract, the issues I saw, were: Choking - only small bichirs that manage to pick up small (but large enough) piece of gravel to choke them.
Is black sand good for bichir?
Whatever Bichir you keep, their true colors will show against red sand. However, if they desire the green coloration in their Bichirs―and provided they keep only the species mentioned above―then go for the black sand.
What do Polypterus Senegalus eat?
Diet and Nutrition Because of its poor eyesight, the polypterus relies on its sense of smell to seek out its food. This carnivore enjoys many foods, including: Meaty foods, including mussel, prawn, shrimp, cockle, whitebait, beefheart and silversides. Live foods, including guppies, minnows, earthworms and ghost shrimp.
Can bichir live out of water?
The scientists worked with the Senegal bichir (Polypterus senegalus). Normally it swims in African rivers. But this elongated fish has both gills and lungs, so it can live on land if it has to. And that's what Emily Standen forced her bichirs to do for much of their youth.
How big do bichirs get?
Most species grow to between 30 and 60 cm (11.8 and 23.6 inches) long. Some members of the largest two species, the saddled bichirs (P. endlicherii) and Congo bichirs (P. congicus), grow to lengths of 75 cm (29.5 inches) and 97 cm (38.2 inches) and weights of 3.3 kg (7.3 pounds) and 4.4 kg (9.7 pounds), respectively.
Lifespan, Behaviour & Types of Bichir
The lifespan of the Dinosaur Bichir can be as high as 15-20 years, with males living for a slightly shorter period of time than females. These fish are generally shy and avoid contact with other fish.
Suitable Tank Mates For Bichir
So you’ve decided you’re going to get some Bichir, what you’ll want to know next is what are some suitable tank mates?
Breeding Bichir
Bichirs are one of the best beginner fish species. Bichir’s breeding is relatively easy, although getting their eggs to hatch can be frustrating even for seasoned breeders.
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I hope you enjoyed this Bichir Fish Care Guide. If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment here and I’ll do my best to answer all your Bichir Questions!
What is the difference between bichir lungs and dwarf gourami lungs?
This design solves all that. Bichir lungs are a bit different than the lungs of other fish such as dwarf gourami. A bichirs lungs are more of a sac than a mass of tissue. There doesn’t seem to be much of an advantage of one over the other, it’s just the way they evolved. These fish are also very hard to sex.
What color is a Delhezi bichir?
They’re primarily grey with flecks of yellow and green and some short black stripes.
What to put in a bichir tank?
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.
How long do bichir live?
Lifespan. The average bichir lifespan is usually 10-15 years in captivity. However, it’s not out of the question for them to hit 20 years of age if they receive perfect care (and have good genetics). The lifespan of these fish can be impacted significantly by the conditions they live in.
What is an albino bichir?
The albino bichir is essentially a dinosaur bichir but white with red eyes. Everything else is exactly the same aside from the color. These are a highly sought after type of bichir (as most albino fish are).
Why are bichirs so interesting?
Bichirs are an interesting fish because they have a pair of lungs and need access to the surface to get oxygen. One of the main reasons for this is the waters where they come from are usually so swampy and dirty that it makes breathing a challenge. This design solves all that.
Where are bichirs found?
They make up the Polypteridae family and are mostly found in Northeast Africa throughout the Nile River and its associated tributaries.
How to care for bichir fish?
Bichirs are quite hardy fish and will not present many troubles. Try to provide the best environment possible and you will have happy and healthy fish. They are susceptible to a few parasites such as internal flukes.
How many species of bichirs are there?
There are about 12 species in this genus recognized as Bichirs all from freshwater systems of tropical Africa. These are quite large and aggressive fish that requires large tanks. They are recommended for experienced aquarists as they require special attention with their carnivorous diet and tank conditions.
What color is the bichir?
Its base colorings can vary from dark brown to grey. This is one of the most popular and also one of the largest (24 inches in length).
How big is a saddled bichir?
Its coloration makes it very popular. The Saddled Bichir, ( Polypterus endlicheri) is one of the largest reaching up to 30 inches.
What is a bichir?
Bichirs are living fossils that resemble ancient looking fish. They are one of the oldest living lineages leading to the bony fishes we know today and are the sister group of ray-finned fishes.
What color eyes do albino fish have?
You can even get albino variations, with bright red eyes and completely white skin. These hardy fish might not be the easiest fish to care for, however nothing beats having living fossils that look as old at the fish from the beginning of time, in your aquarium. In this article you will learn how to care for this fish including: ...
What is the largest bichir?
The Saddled Bichir, ( Polypterus endlicheri) is one of the largest reaching up to 30 inches. This species has a lower jaw longer than the upper jaw, a characteristic that defines the different Polypterus species. They are whitish-yellow colored with dark vertical bands along the body.
Species Summary
Appearance
Types of Bichirs
- There are a few popular types of bichirs that you’ll see in aquariums all over the world. Each type has a different color and many times will have a body length that’s not shared by other bichirs.
Size
- The average bichir fish size is between 1-2.5 feet in length.This wide range is determined primarily by the type of bichir you get. Other factors like care and genetics influence this as well.
Bichir Care
- Bichir care is not exceptionally difficult, but there are some things you need to be aware of. On the bright side, these are hardy fish. There is a fairly generous range of water parameters that any semi-experienced aquarist should be able to maintain. On the other hand, there are behavioral and dietary considerations that make them a little more time-intensive. All in all, we think this evens …
Food & Diet
- Since bichirs are carnivores you’ll need to ensure that they’re getting enough protein-rich food in their diet to stay healthy. They also eat at night which is another consideration that makes them a bit different from a lot of popular freshwater fishes. Because of their nocturnal nature, you’ll want to time their feedings appropriately. Nighttime ...
Behavior & Temperament
- One of the main things you’ll need to be aware of when it comes to bichir care is their temperament. While we wouldn’t consider them very aggressive, they definitely have aggressive tendencies that you need to manage. When you combine this with the fact that they’re carnivores it can lead to some problems with other fish in their tank. Anything their size or smaller might b…
Bichir Tank Mates
- 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 a…
Breeding
- There is not a lot of information out there about how to successfully breed bichirs. The process, in general, has not been done much in home aquariums and the amount of data we have is limited. Each type of bichir requires slightly different tank and water conditions to breed, but that too is not well-understood. This just means you might have to do some experimenting if you wish to pursu…
Conclusion
- Owning a bichir is incredibly fun and rewarding. These living fossils are a treat to watch and you’ll often find yourself marveling at their prehistoric look! They’re relatively active fish as well which can be a nice change of pace compared to other bottom-feeders. If nothing else, you’ll frequently witness them visiting the surface to get oxygen. Bichir care is also fairly straightforward. Simply …