bichir?

[laura65536]

I am thinking about getting bichir, but I want to make sure it can go in with my fish first....right now it'd be going in with my "community tank" (thats what I was getting at the lfs, however my sharks have eaten most of it) with a pictus, a channel cat, 2 paroon sharks, 4 cories, a pictus, and 4 opaline gouramis. Mostly I just need to know if it would get along with the channel and the paroon sharks, as those would be it's forever tank mates, they are getting ready to move to the 200. I think they are very cool fish, but have learned to ask someone besides the lfs about compatibility...if it can't go in with them how large of a tank do they generally need and what can I put in with them? (I'm not real big on huge tanks with one fish...)

Thanks in advance

and just fyi, the sharks are going to keep getting bigger, I know that and we are building a house right now and making a 1000+ gallon fish "room" in the basement for them....

 

[jconley]

You may want to have a moderator move this thread to the Polypterus forum, but in the meantime I can help out! The cories would definitely pose a problem as the bichir will eventually and undoubtedly try to eat them. Cories (catfish in general ) have very strong pectoral fins and will lock them straight out if a predator tries to eat them often resulting in the death of both predator and prey, this unfortunately happens often with bichirs and cories. The pictus will also eventually be food. As for how big they get.....depends on the bichir. In the wild they range from about 14" (delhizi) to 3' plus (endlicheri congicus). Check out Beblondie's primer....http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65770

 

[dragonfish]

I wouldn't chance it. My 6 inch senegal finished off everybody tetra sized and smaller and the 11 inch ornate tried to eat a 4 inch midas. Their mouth is even bigger than it looks.

 

[cenecker]

Most Bichirs will not get big enough to avoid being eaten by the channel cat as it grows. P. e. Congicus might be a canidate. And yeah your corys and pictus will definetly not make it!