Bichir addicted to eating fish...

[The Lost Tapes]

Hello, I have a small 4 inch long P Bichir lapradei that I had kept with mollies about half its size and I discovered it was eating them, this was several months ago as I thought being small meant it wouldn't hunt fish yet and I didn't want my other large fish to attack it. So it was eating fish for about a week until I put it with the larger ones where it seemed to be calm again, well today I woke up to it trying to eat a BN Pleco I have in the tank, the pleco is wider than the bichir and it can't fit it into its mouth well, it subsequently tried ramming the pleco into its mouth by swimming against objects in the tank and eventually gave up trying to eat it, however I am now concerned that it will eventually do this to the other bichirs in the tank and possibly my SAL too. Should I get rid of the little guy or not? And is it possible to get it to not eat other fish. If anyone is wondering the pleco is fine and didn't seem very bothered by the whole event.

 

[tlindsey]

And is it possible to get it to not eat other fish

Tbh it's going to be a risk with the Polypterus.

 

[The Lost Tapes]

Tbh it's going to be a risk with the Polypterus.

So its basically impossible to get it to stop eating fish? Its also the smallest bichir i have so the others aren't in risk at all yet.

 

[The Lost Tapes]

Sorry about the low pic quality as my fish usually pile together a lot, the senegalus next to it is the largest bichir i have, the catfish for reference is larger than either of them

 

[jjohnwm]

Predators eat other critters. It's just what they do. If kept with fish small enough to be eaten, a predator will usually fall into one of two categories: it will attempt to eat them right away...or it will attempt to eat them at some future point.

I often read about predators being successfully kept with prey items, usually with the added proviso "as long as they are kept well fed". To me, this is another way of stating "I overfeed my XXX predator fish to the point where it no longer bothers its tankmates", or to simplify it even further "I want my fish fat and lazy, so I feed them way too much".

And to those who would suggest a well-planted and heavily-decorated tank that allows the prey items to elude and evade capture, I would say that trying to maintain prey items (I don't think of them as "tankmates") with a predator in any small confined space, expecting them to always be on the razor edge of altertness to avoid capture, borders on low-grade torture and abuse.

 

[The Lost Tapes]

Predators eat other critters. It's just what they do. If kept with fish small enough to be eaten, a predator will usually fall into one of two categories: it will attempt to eat them right away...or it will attempt to eat them at some future point.

I often read about predators being successfully kept with prey items, usually with the added proviso "as long as they are kept well fed". To me, this is another way of stating "I overfeed my XXX predator fish to the point where it no longer bothers its tankmates", or to simplify it even further "I want my fish fat and lazy, so I feed them way too much".

And to those who would suggest a well-planted and heavily-decorated tank that allows the prey items to elude and evade capture, I would say that trying to maintain prey items (I don't think of them as "tankmates") with a predator in any small confined space, expecting them to always be on the razor edge of altertness to avoid capture, borders on low-grade torture and abuse.

Yes I understand that, I'm getting rid of the plecos tomorrow but I'm more concerned if anyone here thinks the bichir will eventually turn on my SAL or other 2 bichirs, as it seems its fixated on eating fish now. And if anyone wonders I do feed heavily as to prevent the plecos from slime coat sucking so everyone's well fed. Being said I don't know if it will attempt to attack the SAL I have as they have fairly soft skin compared to armored catfish and bichirs

 

[tlindsey]

Sorry about the low pic quality as my fish usually pile together a lot, the senegalus next to it is the largest bichir i have, the catfish for reference is larger than either of them

View attachment 1507488

View attachment 1507489

There are members that successfully keep bichir of various sizes.. My experience was having 2 smaller bicher being eaten by larger ones. I now keep smaller species separate from larger growing Polypterus.

 

[tlindsey]

I often read about predators being successfully kept with prey items, usually with the added proviso "as long as they are kept well fed".

That is so true

 

[The Lost Tapes]

There are members that successfully keep bichir of various sizes.. My experience was having 2 smaller bicher being eaten by larger ones. I now keep smaller species separate from larger growing Polypterus.

I mean, does the fish already having a taste for other fish make it more likely for there to be predation against other large fish? Excluding the lapradei my other 2 are fine, Delhezi, Senegal have been together for nearly a year and they are peaceful. Its just the lapradei that I am worried over, I've had plecos before that once they slime coat sucked theyd never go back to not doing it so I guess fish can like the taste of a specific meal?

 

[tlindsey]

I mean, does the fish already having a taste for other fish make it more likely for there to be predation against other large fish?

Yes very possible because it was hunting down mollies and eating them.