What kind of cichlids would you keep with bichirs?

ss720

Gambusia
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Nov 20, 2005
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I have 5 bichirs ranging from 2-3 inches to 6-7 inches in size.

I'm looking to keep cichlids with them, but something that's plant friendly and would go well with them. Which means I need to get cichlids that won't fit in their mouths.

I'm thinking nicaraguas, salvini, fire mouths.

Haven't found any semi adult or adult cichlids at the moment, but I'm looking for some in my area.

I want more activity in my tank, as the bichirs mostly come out at night and small fish gets eaten.
And I'm left alone watching plants when I'm home, so either I'll get some bichir friendly cichlids or I'll redecorate my tank to make my bichirs more watchable, or go as far as swapping the bichirs for different set of fish.

Any thoughts?


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pops

Alligator Gar
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Nov 24, 2013
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get some blue gourami and betas. grown. what size tank?
 

pops

Alligator Gar
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Nov 24, 2013
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not that they can not be kept with cichlids, my 8" BKG does fine in the 180 with a 8" female jag, 2 oscars 12" and 10" and 8" sun cat. they have no ideal what to make of the BKG fish so they leave him alone. seems it not have gills to flair, or any aggressive signal they use to its just more tank decor.
 

ExoticGREEN

Redtail Catfish
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Jan 31, 2010
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do you have upper jaws or lower jaws, Ive had cichlids with bichirs forever. Only lost 1 bichir to a cichlid.(the bichir was on its way out Retropinnis)

in my 240g I have no decor for them to hide LOL. I have 18-19" dovii with 8" senegals mokes Etc. Doesnt harm them at all. Imo cichlids would ignore them
heres a pic of the tank. give you a idea
(Old pic I have some DW Lol., but now gone xD
013.JPG

013.JPG
 

ss720

Gambusia
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Nov 20, 2005
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ImageUploadedByMonsterAquariaNetwork1412992449.635611.jpg

I have 190 gallon tank, 4 bichirs.

Ornate
Endlicheri
Palmas polli
Ansorgii

Had a delhezi, but removed because of hogging all the food.

Sort of like my layout, but fishes hides all day long and I've finally made them all eat pellets so kind of don't want to get rid of them now.

But, I want to change the sand.
I'm actually getting chinchilla bathing sand, looks awsome in a tank IMO.

So I'm going to remove the clown knife fish, a bristle nose pleco and 2 African butterfly fish.

I also have a ropefish and 3 hujeta's.

I'm considering removing them as well, but the hujeta's are the ones that are active at day, and I've really grown to like them a lot.

I have the chance to do a different layout when I remove the sand this Sunday, so I'll try around and see what looks good,

I won't get the new sand until next friday, so it'll just be plants and driftwood for a week, but a good opportunity to try different layouts.

This layout was what I ended up with the time I set the tank up, and it looks great IMO, but getting sort of tired of looking at it. So I think change is good. Would like to perhaps move everything to the sides, to give the fish more focus.

But again, I miss small fish, but I really want to see a full size bichir...




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ss720

Gambusia
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Nov 20, 2005
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Noticed in my first post I wrote I had 5 bichirs, I forgot I removed one few days ago, I have 4.

Also it's 4 at night and I have been at work all day and it's only 5 hours till I start working another 9 hours,



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libingboy

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jun 26, 2005
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I have some festivum with a bunch of juvy bichirs 7-10" the festivum are only 3" but none have been eaten. Ive also kept larger severu.s with larger bichirs and encountered no issues other than the severums hogging all the food.

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King-eL

Polypterus
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Nov 28, 2008
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Any cichlids will do fine with bichirs as long as they are not small enough to fit inside the mouth. However with the kind of setup that you. Any breeding pair of cichlids will mostly likely destroy or rearange them. I have central american cichlids in my tank. All goes fine till they start breeding and destroyed most of my bolbitis, anubias and wendeluv.
 

justarn

Arapaima
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May 24, 2011
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could do some hemichromis species, i have some reds some elongatus and some frempongi, they left my plants alone. also have some great colour!
 

King-eL

Polypterus
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Nov 28, 2008
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could do some hemichromis species, i have some reds some elongatus and some frempongi, they left my plants alone. also have some great colour!
Since he got endli, ornate and ansorgii. Those hemichromis are potential future meal for those furture large bichirs. Afterall hemichromis are natural food for bichirs on the wild.

The only cichlids he should keep would be those pike cichlids. They will normally use the plants as hideouts. I some red pike cichlid and they do great with my plant. Kinda expensive though. Nice red color too.
 
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