Ornate Bichir care

[00rollins]

How long did it take for your sun catfish to get that big?




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I obtained him at this size when i bought a 155bowfront on craigslist, he was sick and skinny, and the guy that sold me the tank said it was running for 5years. In all honesty i dont know how old he is. The guy said the tank was his wifes and they got divorced, his girlfriend was caring for the tank. She didnt know anything about fish and was feeding the 3 fish still alive algie pellets for months. An insanly sickly oscar, a chocolate practicalky blinded, and this cute guy also almost blinded at the time. The tank hadnt seem a water change since his wife left. All the fish are happy healthy and recovered.
They get much bigger but i fear his growth could have been stunted, but he still grows fatter. Ive had him for almost 1 year.

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[00rollins]

Right now I only have Hikari carnivore but I will try to get the kind you suggest.

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This pellet is good for him although it is expensive, i use both. If you buy this at a lfs i sugg buying ib bulk, 5 lb nls 49, hikari carnivore 2.2 lb 44.99, big savins over lfs. I use this place cause they run alot of free shipping deals usually if you spend 75

http://www.affordableaquaticsuppliesllc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_8

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[ColeFishing]

Thanks for the link. Also, how would a 125 gallon tank suffice. I know its only 18" wide but bichirs seem pretty flexible. Or would a 120 be better for that 2 foot width. 125 is the biggest I can do because anything bigger is too heavy.


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[00rollins]

Thanks for the link. Also, how would a 125 gallon tank suffice. I know its only 18" wide but bichirs seem pretty flexible. Or would a 120 be better for that 2 foot width. 125 is the biggest I can do because anything bigger is too heavy.


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Some people will tell you that its overstocked with a 125, i personally disagree, depending on filtration and maintenance. I have both tanks you mentioned, 5' and 6'. The bichir isnt going to get 18" overnight.

On the other hand when it does they are pretty massive. When i first saw one fully grown i was shocked, the biggest one i have is 11" had em since little tiny baby for a little over a year, and not that thick maybe 1.5 to 2" thick. The full grown lenth i knew but the ones ive seen in person were thicker than my wrist. I dont have personal exp to say how long it takes to get that large.

I would say it comes down to preferance in the tank size. Cause when and if he gets near that big you may have to upgrade again or maybe rehome him. With mult fish i would say length is important, but depth is important with really large fish. Like you said they are flexible so the depth my not be terrible at 18".

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[ColeFishing]

yeah IMO a 125 sounds reasonable. i will just keep him with my gar and lima. yes I'm aware my gar will outgrow it anyways. and y'all are right about the feeding thing. my other fish seem to get food before my orante. this is because i fill up the other fish on pellets(i try to) and when my ornate finally comes out of hiding i give him two cubes of bloodworms and when he sees me he darts back into cover. it makes since though because the supplier i bought it from said it had been caught in the congo river only a week ago. he doesn't normally get into any fights and i will start feeding him when the lights are off and see if that helps. thanks for all the help. does anyone know the growth rate on these?

 

[00rollins]

Prior to what i explained as my feeding ritual, when they were groing before they made it to the big cichlid tank i used to use frozen krill for some reson my polys ignored bloodworms. The sinking pellets you have know should work. They are scavengers in the wild.

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[Carefree_Dude]

Hey, 00rollins, I also have ornates with a sun catfish, only the ornates are about 18" each, and the sun cat is only 8".

My ornates just keep to themselves, and nothing ever bothers them.

The easiest way to feed them, is to put their food in a container, turn off all the lights in the house, and just dump it in. they will get it before the cichlids do. Another way is to use tongs to place the food in front of them.

 

[ColeFishing]

This is mine. I just tried your technic. I'm not sure if it worked because the lights are out. Also mine rarely comes out(I've only had it 2 days) and if I put food in its cave( which is a vertical tunnel) I'm afraid the food will fall to the bottom and not get eaten. But I will try. Thanks for your advice.


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[00rollins]

Hey, 00rollins, I also have ornates with a sun catfish, only the ornates are about 18" each, and the sun cat is only 8".

My ornates just keep to themselves, and nothing ever bothers them.

The easiest way to feed them, is to put their food in a container, turn off all the lights in the house, and just dump it in. they will get it before the cichlids do. Another way is to use tongs to place the food in front of them.

Lights out thing is what i was explaining in earlier post, i do it when its dark out and its basically pitch balack in my fish room, i acctually used the feed a sengal with tongs back in the day he would take it right from the tongs, cant in my current tank 2 many big cichlids and they would just grab anything i put in, ALWAYS HUNGRY.


How long to get that big. (18")

This is mine. I just tried your technic. I'm not sure if it worked because the lights are out. Also mine rarely comes out(I've only had it 2 days) and if I put food in its cave( which is a vertical tunnel) I'm afraid the food will fall to the bottom and not get eaten. But I will try. Thanks for your advice.

He will get the food, unless the cats get it all. But you will see him fat in the morning if he ate good.

Crefree dudes advice about the thongs should work for you, for meatty stuff iv fed silverside, krill, beefhart, soaked freeze dried earthwormsso they sink, can get you a link for ew if you want, i would stay away from beefheart and silversides cause it really dirties the tank. But this stuff gets costly so its not an eveyday thing

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[ColeFishing]

cost is not an issue. i do want to know if it would be easier to move it into a ten(very TEMPORARY) by himself so i can get him used to me and eating pellets easier. or is it better to leave him in the 75 amd let him learn to compete for food.