Polypterus delhezi — some questions

[Gerrit0]

Hello guys from the MFK Community,

im from Germany and i signed up in this Forum to get some help for my summer plan.
Unfortunately there is no such Forum in German Language which is specialized on keeping Polypterus So i hope to get some tips here?

So what is my plan?
I want to setup a big tank of 540liters (180x60x50cm wdh) and want to keep a group of 4-5 Polypterus delhezi and also a group of C. acutiroste.
I´ll try to make it as natural as possible with woods and african plants.
Is this tank size ok for these fish, even if they grow adult?
In my research i found out that Dels grow between 30-35cm, is this correct?

As filtration system i thought of the Aquael ultramax 2000 or the Fluval FX4.
Which one is better for my planned Setup?
How noisy is the FX4? Because the tank will stand in our livingroom. (But the Filter will be placed in the base cabinet).

i appreciate all your help and tips… and please excuse my english ?
Have a nice day

 

[Egemen]

Hello and Welcome ! As a newbie myself I dont have much experience with Polypterus but I too talked to people that kept them here so I will try to help as much as I can on the animal part of your questions.
Tank size is enough ! I myself am planning to get a 120 45 45h tank and put a Delhezi in it along with my 2 Albino CB Senegals that are in a 40 Breeder currently. People told me that mine was the minimum (120 45 45h) and considering that your tank will be a great home for Delhezi and the Bush fish. Yes its true that they grow to 35 cm .
Hope I was of some use, more experienced people will probably give better answers but tried to help out anyway. I too am new on the Polypterus Train .

 

[Gerrit0]

Hi Egemen,

thx for your quick answer.
Do you only keep one Delhezi or do you plan to get him/her some mates?

 

[Egemen]

Hi Egemen,

thx for your quick answer.
Do you only keep one Delhezi or do you plan to get him/her some mates?

Thinking of keeping only one as I already have 2 Albino Senegals. Like I said havent gotten one yet. Will when I upgrade my tank in a few months. Afaik Bichirs are completely fine being solitary.

 

[Gerrit0]

Okay i heard that they want some mates of the same species, but let‘s wait what the longtime Keepers will answer ?

 

[Egemen]

Okay i heard that they want some mates of the same species, but let‘s wait what the longtime Keepers will answer ?

Yeah they will have better answers . Will be following the thread myself so that I can learn more. Good luck !

 

[Caveden]

Hello guys from the MFK Community,

im from Germany and i signed up in this Forum to get some help for my summer plan.
Unfortunately there is no such Forum in German Language which is specialized on keeping Polypterus So i hope to get some tips here?

So what is my plan?
I want to setup a big tank of 540liters (180x60x50cm wdh) and want to keep a group of 4-5 Polypterus delhezi and also a group of C. acutiroste.
I´ll try to make it as natural as possible with woods and african plants.
Is this tank size ok for these fish, even if they grow adult?
In my research i found out that Dels grow between 30-35cm, is this correct?

As filtration system i thought of the Aquael ultramax 2000 or the Fluval FX4.
Which one is better for my planned Setup?
How noisy is the FX4? Because the tank will stand in our livingroom. (But the Filter will be placed in the base cabinet).

i appreciate all your help and tips… and please excuse my english ?
Have a nice day

Yes, you can keep 4-5 delhezi considering your tank is around 6 x 2 feet. With those dimensions you can possibly get even more than 5 delhezis, since CB delhezis grow only around 8-12”, most maxing out around the 9-10” range.
that tank is honestly quite large, youcan try venturing into CB endlicheris, grow to about 14-18” . IMO since they are lower jawed bichirs they look much nicer.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

I’ve kept 2 delhezi in the past. Your tank is plenty large enough for a group of dels and possibly other bichirs. I had a solo bush fish but I heard from other people that if you have multiple they might fight but my bush fish left all my other fish alone

 

[Gerrit0]

Yes, you can keep 4-5 delhezi considering your tank is around 6 x 2 feet. With those dimensions you can possibly get even more than 5 delhezis, since CB delhezis grow only around 8-12”, most maxing out around the 9-10” range.
that tank is honestly quite large, youcan try venturing into CB endlicheris, grow to about 14-18” . IMO since they are lower jawed bichirs they look much nicer.

Honestly i thought endlicheris get to big for my tank?
Could i keep a group of these?

I’ve kept 2 delhezi in the past. Your tank is plenty large enough for a group of dels and possibly other bichirs. I had a solo bush fish but I heard from other people that if you have multiple they might fight but my bush fish left all my other fish alone

So you mean that bushfish attack other bushfish or do they attack other fish in general?


Is it general better to keep Polypterus CB or WC?
Here in Germany you can only get CB Delhezi from the big farms in Indonesia, there is no private breeder as far as i know.
And WC delhezi cost about 100€ apiece.

 

[Jsilve3134]

Just get whatever you feel is right, however, I would get 5 WC, Guantity over quality.