First Bichir tank setup care and tank mates?

[RoBeeWon]

Hey everyone, just asking and poking about for information on the tank setup, care, and possibl3 tank mates. My LFS mate is holding a senegalus poly for me as I've already paid for it and want to get his tank shmicko before introduce him..
My tank is Length-1500mm *width500mm and depth-500mm... Is it going to be big enough?
I've attached a Nautilus 2400 canister filter? Ive filled it and running for nearly 2months without fish. I've cycled it weekly and tested the water daily making sure the chems and Ph are on point. Also that the biofilter was working. (Thought it'd be yrs til it was ready.)
There's Sandy substrate, half logs, caves, and parts of some knotted root system driftwood. (*No sharp edges of course*)
Temp is sitting at 27degrees Celsius. I think it is ready? Is it? Am I? I want to make sure that I'm doing things right, these fish are wicked as and pretty expensive in Aus. I asked my mate at LFS heaps of questions but he couldn't answer them all perhaps a few of you could give me a few pointers I'd be grateful. I'm going to have him by himself for a lol while just to make sure I'm doing things right. I know the basics of his care and read and viewed a heap of various research on them but it's the keepers that deal with them everyday I would be glad to pick your brains cheers folks peace!!

 

[kno4te]

Tank size is fine a Senegalus. Just check ur water daily. Make sure u have no ammonia, nitrites and some nitrates. Keep nitrates below 40ppm. Sounds like ur ready.

Tankmates should be at least twice the size of their mouths but not too aggressive to eat the Senegalus. Example don’t put a dovii, red tail catifish or a African tiger fish in there.

 

[magpie]

You'll love the Sen! Good choice. Agree with kno4te - assure zero ammonia and nitrites, and check your parameters daily after introducing the guy to be sure it stays that way.

What kind of tankmates interest you?

Do you feel like you're set on what you'll feed the guy?

 

[Polyaddict86]

Aggree with ron and erika check the water before introducing any fish.

For tankmates you can add anyfish that wont fit the sen mouth but nothing aggressive that will harm the sen since polys dont defend themselves againg aggressive fish. You can add large barbs, or other ditchers like silver dollars.

 

[RoBeeWon]

Tank size is fine a Senegalus. Just check ur water daily. Make sure u have no ammonia, nitrites and some nitrates. Keep nitrates below 40ppm. Sounds like ur ready.

Tankmates should be at least twice the size of their mouths but not too aggressive to eat the Senegalus. Example don’t put a dovii, red tail catifish or a African tiger fish in there.

Thanks for your input! Nope none of it at all. I shall continue to do as I am doing atm which is Test everyday and changing water wkly.. can't wait he/she has been at the LFS for a couple months so I could get his tank prepared properly!! Exited

 

[RoBeeWon]

Aggree with ron and erika check the water before introducing any fish.

For tankmates you can add anyfish that wont fit the sen mouth but nothing aggressive that will harm the sen since polys dont defend themselves againg aggressive fish. You can add large barbs, or other ditchers like silver dollars.

Yes I test daily and have taken samples of my water to my friend that runs and owns the LFS. He's said there spot on, keep doing what ya doing... good to know I was thinking about a Jack Dempsey, but if their as cranky as there namesake maybe not...

 

[RoBeeWon]

You'll love the Sen! Good choice. Agree with kno4te - assure zero ammonia and nitrites, and check your parameters daily after introducing the guy to be sure it stays that way.

What kind of tankmates interest you?

Do you feel like you're set on what you'll feed the guy?

Thanks!! Yes I will most definitely not lax on my water!!
Food wise mix it up a lil bit, I'm stocked up with bloodworm, shrimp, & sinking pellets. Treat every now and then with live feeders like rosyBarb's, the bigass earthworms I dig up in the back yard all yr round and in summer with yabbies(freshwater crayfish)
For my catties I feed algae wafers (brissles loves em) and cucumber, did have plants, Jax didn't like em
In my hall is a three footer which I've had for ages. (That's how I learnt to do waters properly!) It houses Red(elec blue) a paired couple of weird as lookin sido's I think(their constantly knotting up) 2 Brisstlenose, Jax my weirdly placid JD, lastly is Lil Ness(Venastus) Blk and yellow stripes tniy but fast and absolutely gives JD ****e. Then in another 3n1/2 ftr I'm fishsitting a friend's 2 Oscars 1 tiger 1 fantail and a Yellowish poocoloured Severum..
This what I'd love to see in it but am probs dreaming hahaha...
The Senator(poli)
BlkGhostknifes*(want to get 2)
JD. (Just Jax)
Sydo's OR Brisstlenose (both?)
Elec blue (RedneedsaMrs)
Would it be overstocked?

 

[CrazyKoiCracker]

Two ghost knives is a bad idea. No personal experience with them but I pretty much just read guides and studies in my spare time and I found a thread a while back from a woman who specializes in knife fish and because they’re electrical fish, the subdominate ones seem to get depressed and listless with time, something about their electrical fields interfering. I could be wrong. But all the same... ghost knives DO go well with polys as long as the sizes match. The major difference is that Bichir can tolerate stagnate low oxygen water while knife fish absolutely can not. Strong current and high oxygen levels for them or they will steadily decline and end up dead before they reach half their potential size. I’m thinking about getting a ghost knife myself. But would have to up the water flow considerably.
So I just had to google/convert your crazy mm sizes. 60” by 20” approx.
20” high may be a bit more water than the sen would like, since they have to swim up for supplemental gulps of air after their external gills go away. Perhaps only fill it 3/4ths of the way and have some plants growing out of the top to fill the space? Idk. It seems like you’ve done enough research and polys are very hardy fish. Im sure it will all go swimmingly.
No synodontis. They have been known to feed on Bichir slime coat. Bristlenose plecos will probably be ok. Issues with Bristlenose are very rare but not unheard of. (Mines been fine) but synos have a much worse reputation with polys.
Raphael cats go well with them as long as they’re big enough to not be considered food. (Usually whatever tries to eat them will end up dead instead because they’re so spiny).
But they get chunky enough that a Senegal would have to be drunk to make that mistake.
Good luck and please post photos!!