View Full Version : Ornate Bichir...
Yellow Bichir
12-23-2008, 12:19 PM
hey MFK'ers! i have a question about my ornate bichir, but first i shall describe you my situation hopefully without ranting. today my monster betta fish named fido died :(, because my three silver dollars i had in the tank with him [and the ornate bichir] pestered him to death. so i moved the silver dollars into my main tank with my other bichirs because i figure they're big enough to fend for themselves now. so now the only fish in the growout tank is the little ornate bichir. the sooner i can move him out of there the better, because i was planning on making a tank with mini-minsters in it. the ornate is currently abour 4 - 4.5" long and my sen and del bichirs are at about 7 - 8" each... and then i have three ropefish between 9 and 13". do you think it would be safe for the ornate to go in the big boy tank, because he doesn't seem to be growing at all anymore in the growout tank...
thanks, and happy holidays everyone!
YB
How long has he been in the tank on his own? Is it just a case of the bigger ones nicking all his food so hes not grown as big,or has it been a long time on his own with little growth?
If you have only just moved the bigger ones out,feed him up and he should grow quick.i got my second ornate 5 weeks ago at 4.5 inch and now hes 6.75 inch! And hes in with a very greedy endli and a 9inch ornate and a smaller endli.
Cheers steve
davcheng
12-23-2008, 1:25 PM
I would stick the ornate in. I had a little albino sen (2.5" when i got him) in with larger bichirs (5-7") and he's currently outcompeting all the others for food (he's a little sausage roll, about 4.5" now).
sour_girl
12-23-2008, 1:43 PM
I think he'd be ok in the big tank.. you just have to watch him.. He should be too big to fit into anyones mouth by now..
Yellow Bichir
12-23-2008, 5:36 PM
I think he'd be ok in the big tank.. you just have to watch him.. He should be too big to fit into anyones mouth by now..
yeah that's what i'm worried about... but when my delhezi was about 4" he managed to eat a full grown pregnant platy that was probably twice as thick as the ornate...
I would stick the ornate in. I had a little albino sen (2.5" when i got him) in with larger bichirs (5-7") and he's currently outcompeting all the others for food (he's a little sausage roll, about 4.5" now).
my delhezi also decided to eat my first senegal bichir. the del was about 5" and the sen was about 2". aren't they cute when they're chubby? :)
How long has he been in the tank on his own? Is it just a case of the bigger ones nicking all his food so hes not grown as big,or has it been a long time on his own with little growth?
If you have only just moved the bigger ones out,feed him up and he should grow quick.i got my second ornate 5 weeks ago at 4.5 inch and now hes 6.75 inch! And hes in with a very greedy endli and a 9inch ornate and a smaller endli.
Cheers steve
no no, they were never in the same tank. the ornate is in a growout tank, and the other polys are in the main tank. the little ornate's been alone for about a day now, because my betta died and i moved the silver dollars. he's been eating a lot, but he doesn't seem to be growing much. i've had him since september... he's grown about 1.5" in the growout.
i really don't want this little guy to get eaten, but i'd like him to grow too... i'm stumped.
Yellow Bichir
12-23-2008, 6:05 PM
here's some then and now pictures to show his growth. like i said before, i've had him since september.
Yellow Bichir
12-24-2008, 1:21 PM
bump;
you guys still think he should be put in the big tank?
i found him in the filter this morning, he was trying to escape... he's fine but i don't think he likes it in there...
Arozilla
12-24-2008, 1:44 PM
nice fella!
ocellatus
12-24-2008, 4:38 PM
It's a decision that is not without some risk, though looking at the species and sizes I'd say it should work out alright.
O
Yellow Bichir
12-24-2008, 6:30 PM
nice fella!
thank you muchly. he is my pride and joy. :)
It's a decision that is not without some risk, though looking at the species and sizes I'd say it should work out alright.
O
alright, maybe i'll plunk him in the big tank tomorrow morning, depending on if the others are acting out or not.