Bichir feeding problem

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T

THE TICK

Feeder Fish
Jan 30, 2008
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The City
So I've got a pair of juvenile oscars (3" or so) and a 7"-8" polypterus senegalus in a 100 gallon aquarium. Everyone gets along fine, though I'll be returning one of the Oscars as they begin to exceed the size of the tank.

The Senegalus is my latest fish, acquired about a week ago. He's very active during the day and swims right up to the front of the tank when I enter the room, though he immediately runs and hides when I open the lid.

The problem is that I can't get him to eat much. I feed pellets, krill, shrimp, earthworms, bloodworms, etc. If I'm lucky, he'll eat a couple incredibly small bites of the shrimp (china whites), but they have to be very small pieces...he won't even bother with anything the size of a pencil eraser or bigger. He also won't even touch anything else that I throw in. He has only eaten twice since I got him.

He seems acclimated, and obviously he's somewhat interested in eating. Is there something I'm missing here? I appreciate any help you can offer.
 
Thank you for the speedy reply, estuary. Is there anything I can do to reduce his stress? I know they don't like much light, and the lighting on the tank is pitiful...I think 40 watts for 100 gallons of aquarium.

I am sure he isn't being picked on. I watch my fish continually to make sure they are compatible. Even minor scuffles between them really makes me uneasy and I will start swapping out the aggressors.
 
I forgot to mention, the tank also has a number of hiding places for him, so he shouldn't be wanting in that area either.
 
thats odd my senegal has got to be one of the most aggressive eaters I've every owned. However, all my other bichirs are fairly picky eaters who really take thier time eating. Oscars might not be the best tankmates as they tend to be real food hogs.
 
Try target feeding if the bichir has a favorite place.Use a tube of some sort and sinking foods deposit them right in front of the bichir-Anne
 
You said he was new.
How new are we talking about?
You may want to try beefheart bichirs love it.


And Welcome to MFK
 
As long as you think your water conditions are good, and that your senegalus is at least eating a bit, it's fine. i've an ornate about 6". When i first got him, he was incredibly shy-- always hiding and eating little. i almost gave up on him, but a few weeks later, bit by bit, he started to be more active in foraging for food and less shy. Now he's almost always one of the forerunners whenever food is dropped in into the tank. The same thing happened to my delhezis and other bichirs too; sometimes they just need a bit more time than we think. This is quite common, especially when your fish is not the 1st one to be introduced to the tank.
 
Wow! Thank you so much for all the replies! I've only had him a little over a week and the Oscars are in the 3" range. The Oscars are pretty voracious feeders, but the way I circumvent this is by giving them too big of a piece of food to swallow. While they swim around with a worm (or whatever it is they've taken too big of a bite of) hanging out of their mouth, I drop some food in for the bichir. Yesterday afternoon, he actually came to the top when I had the food in my hand and waited around to eat a couple of pellets, so he must have been pretty hungry.

I'll give the beefheart a try, as well as the feeding tube, and I'll try the patience thing...something I've never been good at. Thank you for all the advice, and I'll keep you posted on how he progresses. At least he is eating enough that I shouldn't have to worry about him starving to death.
 
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