Bichir on white sand

shern · Jul 5, 2024

Now, I know that a vast majority of bichirs wash out when kept in white sand which is why bichir keepers often use a mix or darker colored sand for maximum shading and darkening. I on the other hand have a white sanded 250g tank and don’t plan on changing it. I was wondering if anyone knew what types of bichir look good or don’t wash out as much on white sand. I currently keep a delhezi and a lapradei and am thinking about weeksii, no idea if weeksii wash out though. Any other bichir species recommendations are welcome

Friller2009 · Jul 5, 2024

Hao

Hao · Jul 5, 2024

Any bichir species could potentially look good on white sand. It really comes down to preference. You have to ask yourself what do you look for in a bichir? Do you look for head shape? body shape? color? pattern? combo of things? I assume you are looking for something that'll show pattern on white sand. The key is finding one that is naturally darker (hopefully will retain some color/pattern) to keep on your white sand. Personally, I have kept several bichirs on white/bare. Most of them obviously washed out but I didn't mind it because I love how they look (their shape is highlighted due to the lack of color/pattern). Of course, some of them were naturally darker so they retained some color/pattern.
Here are some of my old fish kept on white/light colored bottom.