75 gallon tank?

[smpage]

Before I go any further I'd like to say that I spent a good half hour using the search function before deciding to post this thread. That being said let's move on to the point of it:

I would like to put a 75 gallon tank in family room on my second floor (preferably 80 if petsmart would get off their behinds and order it for me.) I'd like to get a single Ornate Bichir to live in there with a couple african cichlids but I'm unsure if it could live there for life. Is this possible or will I have to eventually move it to a larger tank? If my buddy's divorce goes through I'm getting his 125 but that's not a guarantee so I'm not getting my hopes up for it.

 

[is300zx]

yeah 75 gal is too small for an ornate as they can reach around 24 inches. maybe instead of an ornate you can go with a senegal, polli, or delhezi. any of those can live in the 75 for life.

 

[smpage]

dang, although that's what I thought. Once google searches started returning "min tank size 55" I knew I couldn't trust it. Looks like I'll be getting a Del.

 

[FishGoneWild]

I say 75 is the minimum if you have one ornate. You could get away with it but not recommended. Ornates are lazy bichirs and do not move around much so that makes it sort of ok for a 75gallon tank. Most ornates I've seen do not go pass 20".

 

[Dreamsofpeace54]

bichir with african cichlids may be a bad idea.

mine tore a senegal to peices.

 

[is300zx]

I say 75 is the minimum if you have one ornate. You could get away with it but not recommended. Ornates are lazy bichirs and do not move around much so that makes it sort of ok for a 75gallon tank. Most ornates I've seen do not go pass 20".

I would have to disagree with them being lazy. I have 3 ornates and all of them are very active. Only one hides all the time but that's because it's afraid of my presence. The other two are always out and about even when the lights are on and are just about as active as my delhezis.

 

[TRYLSTEG808]

how fast do ornates grow? i have an 7" orante and 5" dhelzi living a 75g tank.

 

[killerfish]

ornates grow pretty quick but i'd say get a 120 4x2x2 that would be big enough for a ornate but a 125 or 180 would be ideal
but if your getting a 75 go for a delhezi or to look up palmas to those guys look pretty cool you could have a few of those
but for african cichlids some can be kept with bichirs but most will pick at them non stop so be very carefull which cichlids you get bichirs can get picked on eazily

 

[smpage]

indeed, is there any validity to the statement that Ornates rarely reach 24" in captivity?

 

[tRiP]

Think that all depends on the care they're given. As I've read that ornates slow down their growth after 10-12 inches. When I bought my ornate in April she was 13-14" and now she's at 17.5" She seems to have slowed down in growing now. She's in a 120(60x26x18) w/ 2 jags (5 inch female,7 inch male) , a pleco, 3 convicts and a firemouth cichlid.