Birchirs and Ctenopoma acutirostre

[IceH2O]

I have a 75 gallon medium planted tank.

It has:

3 clown loaches (4,3 and 1.5)
2 Senegal Birchirs ( 6 and 4.5 )
4 DW Gourami ( 2-3 )
ghost shrimp and MTS

I have a Ctenopoma acutirostre that I bought but its pretty small so I was afraid to add him to the tank, he is in my 20 gallon with snails and shrimp. He is about 1.5 -2 inches long.

How big should I let him get before adding him?

 

[mcblack]

be sure its big enough not to be eat by the bichirs

 

[illustrae]

well, your birchirs are still fairly small, so the ctenopomas might be all right. They are a fairly deep-bodied fish, so supposedly the birchirs won't be able to swallow them, but that doesn't mean they won't try... Ctenopomas love plants, and they make good hiding places, so if you have plants in your tank--tall plants that get to the surface, grassy plants, or bushy plants to hide behind--that should provide enough cover for them to avoid the birchirs. I've read in a number of places that ctenopomas make great tankmates for bircirs and plan to keep some together when I get my next tank set up.