Bowfin with bichirs?

screaminleeman

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 27, 2009
1,445
10
38
Westminster, MD
I kept an Ornate Bichir with two female Bowfins for roughly a year duration. Very minor skirmishes between them but still far less aggression than between the two Bowfins!

I did however just last week move the Ornate to a 115 gallon tank. It had two very red nearly perfectly round marks appear on it's white underbelly. The looked like mini "hickies"! I never saw anything fight-wise in the tank between the species to cause the marks, but these were the only three residents of the tank, and the bowfins mouths just happen to be in a very similar shape and size of the "fish hickies".

Size is paramount to success. You should be OK with the combination, but understand that both fish are predatory! It is ABSOLUTE ZERO aggression that either of these species will attempt to eat anything that fits into it's mouth. Keep the species within 75% - 80% of the size of it's tankmate(s).
 

lix.ma14

Hydrolycus Armatus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2011
7,181
20
92
Ontario, Canada
It's very risky. The bowfin will outgrow the bichirs.
 

bassfisher91

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 8, 2012
672
1
0
New York
My bowfin, even at a small size were very aggressive and didn't like tank mates....I only had them up to ~5 inches or so though but I can't imagine their temperment gets better.
 

sbuse

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2009
7,728
10
0
37
IN YOUR HEAD
My bowfin is fine with gars and it was fine with my big endli. They often hung out together. Just watch the sp. to be sure they get large enough for the bowfin.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

neildie

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2012
86
0
36
CA
lix.. have you kept bowfin before lol?
theyre fine with eachother, kept 14 incher with senegals 1/4 the size, they were fine together. even kept small one with large bichirs back in the day. again, fine together.
 

screaminleeman

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 27, 2009
1,445
10
38
Westminster, MD
lix.. have you kept bowfin before lol?
theyre fine with eachother, kept 14 incher with senegals 1/4 the size, they were fine together. even kept small one with large bichirs back in the day. again, fine together.
I agree with what you are saying here, but the wording may be a little confusing to other not familiar with the bowfin. I feel the need to expound upon this statement and clarify the message.

The Bowfin aggression toward other fish is generally not a major issue with a few notable exceptions:
1. Feeding time. Bowfins are active feeders and aggressively take meaty foods that they have developed a taste for in a fast "attack" mode. Any fish competing for that piece of meat in a feeding is likely to get bitten by the Bowfin.

(Perceived aggression)

2. Self defense. I have now kept close to a dozen Bowfin, and they are excellent fighters well capable of defending themselves from similar sized aggressive tank mates that have taken to "picking" on them. They are capable and willing to kill these type of tank-mates. In reality this is not aggression at all in my oppinion.

3. Major size difference. If a bowfin can easily swallow a fish, it is food! (This is in no way, shape or form aggression toward other fish, this is nature and common sense!) neildie, 14" bowfin with any 3.5" fish is risky and I bet you had kept the bowfin extremely well fed for it not to devour the 1/4 sized Senegal bichir. I personally would use at minimum 50% (1/2) the size of the Bowfin as a bare minimum in selecting a bichir tank-mate to the Bowfin.

Co-specific aggression:

This is where I am concerned that the wording of your post can be confusing to those who have not kept bowfins!!!! Their legendary uber-aggressive toward other Bowfins and will extremely commonly fight to the death against one another. They are not communal as a good number of the Bichir family are. Female bowfin are similar to male betas in their aggression toward one another.

One Bowfin with a number of Bichirs would be ideal!
 

bigme213

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 26, 2012
273
18
33
louisiana
Thanks for the info leeman. I currently have 3 baby bowfin in a 55 gal grow out and they're 2" at most and not aggressive yet. Do u have any idea on what size they will have to be separated? Also any other info on keeping them would be great it's my first run with bowfin.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store