Air breathing Bichir

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pangasiusfan

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 18, 2007
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Do Bichirs have to breathe air like lungfish? and do i need to leave a few inches of space between the waterline and top of the tank?

or can i fully fill the tank? it's one of those where once filled to the top, there's no space for air!! fully covered acrylic tank
 
yes, you need to leave a reasonable amount of space for polypterus to get up and grab a gulp when they please, regardless of how oxygenated the water is. I had the same problem with an acylic tank (with inclusive filtration, which appears to be your setup as well?) recently but i fiddled around with the filtration and got a around 1.5 inches for my senegalus to come up and take a breath every now and again. If not available, supposedly they will die.
 
can it be 1" for big adults too?

oh is that how they escape, jumping out?
but if I cover it, how would i get air in the tank?? wouldn't it be a waste of my surface aggitation from the filter and air pump...
 
You'd be far better off with 2-3 inches of open space -Anne
 
i would leave more than two inches, cuz the bichirs can really pick up momentum as they head to the surface for air, a few of my fish get a whole headlength out of the water when they surface
 
:iagree: My lapradei gets almost his whole head out of the water, and has rapped the lid a few times when I've topped up a bit too high. Last thing I want is that pretty face all scarred up :D

They all seem to enjoy low water levels. My senegal pair bred 2 weeks back for the first time when the water was about 6 " below the rim.

O
 
is 20" too tall for a baby bichir?
do they constantly swim pretty fast and slow down once they get older and bigger?
what happens at night?
 
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