bichir newbie - a couple of questions

[CichlidAddict]

I'll soon have a 40 breeder (36 x 18 x 16) open and I wanted to try something different. I was looking at bichirs and I really like the delhezi and ornate.

1) Would I be able to keep one of each in this tank?
2) Could I keep more than that (possibly an albino senengal?)
3) How do you determine sex in these species?

 

[grmanrocks]

in a 40 gallon for life i would say u could get the delhezi, but unless u get a bigger tank dont get the ornate,l they reach an astonishing 24 inches. but ya go ahead and get the delhezi and when u get addicted and get a bigger tank get the ornate as far as sexing them is concered it is done by looking at the anal fin, i dont know the exact science of it but im sure someone will enlighten you.

 

[beblondie]

Sexing bichirs
the males analfin is almost twice as wide as the femles see pic

 

[Infblue]

just to add to what beblondie said, they can be sexed only after they reach a certain level of maturity.

 

[Keeper of the Ropes]

Welcome to the addiction

Delhezi would be a good choice - mine has a great personality. I have a younger ornate female and she's nice to look at but isn't the most social creature ever. As for the albino senegal, you could probably try one in a 40 but it wouldn't work if you had the Del as well and both were adults. Too much fish for the tank

Be careful. I had 2 tanks when I discovered bichirs. Now I have a 10 gal where I breed convicts to feed the bichirs, a 10 gal hospital tank... for a bichir... a 20 gallon to grow out very small bichirs... a 30 for half grown bichirs... a 55 for the only two big bichirs I've got... and a 1 gallon full of convict fry that will soon be bichir food. I'm planning on another 30 too... shhhh don't tell my honey lol

 

[grmanrocks]

gotta love the power polys have over us, i statred with a 10 gaalon for my ornate, now a 29 then next is the 195 this november

 

[ninoe]

1) yup you could get both of them (short term) it would take a year before they start to outgrow the tank, so that means you will have more than enough time for an upgrade. just set-up a decent filtration system. so getting juve sizes would work, maybe around 3 to 6 inches.
2) yup you could go for an albino, but you have to expect this scenario: you'll be upgrading to a bigger tank after a year, you would then transfer your ornate to a bigger tank and leave your existing tank to your del and albino p. sen., then you'll find yourself wanting another bichir possibly near the adult size of a p. ornate (since you are now looking at a bigger tank w/ a single fish), so that will give you p. lapradei, p. endli endli or a p. endli congicus.
3) been sufficiently answered already.