I have a male and female Polypterus senegalus in a densely planted 80 gallon tank with low lights and plenty of caves and driftwood. I have read that they get 12" and the male has a wider anal fin than the female, and that the female deposits about 100 eggs onto the male's anal fin. I have also read that breeding can be encouraged by doing a waterchange with cooler water (they usually prefer 77-89 degrees F). Can anyone verify this information? Also, does anyone know if they like salt in the water, of if there is anything else I could do to condition them to breed. They currently eat frozen mosquito larvae and live ghost shrimp. They are about 8 inches long now, so I assume I have a while to go before they are ready to breed. Has anyone here bred bichirs before, and do you have any tips once the time comes? Thanks.
Breeding Bichirs
- Thread starter Cnidaria
- Start date
From AquaticCommunity:
The Senegal bichir (Polypterus senegalus) is quite often bred in aquariums, and the addition of cooler water is suspected to trigger breeding in this species. It is reasonable to assume that a combination of water changes and temperature changes are key factors here. If you want to breed the Senegal bichir, you should begin buy ensuring that the environment in which you keep the potential parents are perfect for them. The water quality should be superb, frequent water changes must be performed, and the aquarium must of course be of suitable size. Keep the pH slightly acidic and make sure the water is soft. A varied diet with plenty of meaty live foods is recommended.
The male Bichir distinguishes itself from the female Bichir by having a considerably broader anal fin. You can only sex mature Bichirs, since immature males will have an anal fin similar to the anal fin of a female Bichir. Male Bichirs also tend to be smaller than female Bichirs, and some mature Bichir males should allegedly have a thicker dorsal spine than the females.
The Senegal bichir has breeding rituals that typically last for a day or longer. The male Bichir will chase the female, and he will also bump into her with his snout. The female will try to locate a suitable spawning site before she deposits any eggs, and you should therefore provide her with bushy plants before you try to induce breeding. A heavily planted aquarium with bushy and fine-leaved plants is recommended. You can also insert special spawning mops into the aquarium.
The female Bichir will deposit from 100 to 300 eggs during several days. She deposits several eggs each time, and the eggs are fertilized by the male when he cups his anal and caudal fins around the genital area of the female Bichir. The male takes the eggs, fertilizes them and they are then scattered over the plants. A Bichir egg is 2-3 millimetres and slightly adhesive. It will stick to the plants until the fry hatch after three or four days. Bichirs will sometimes eat their own eggs, so it would be a good idea to remove the parents from the aquarium as soon as the final fertilization is completed.
The Bichir fry have external gills. You should wait roughly a week before you start feeding the fry, since they should eat their entire yolk sac first. The first food should be small live food, such as newly hatched Brine Shrimp (Artemia nauplii) or Microworms. Place the food near the fry when you feed them, since newly hatched Bichir fry are not very active hunters. Since older Bichir fry tend to be cannibalistic, you should remove larger fry from smaller fry as they grow if you want to ensure a high overall survival rate.
The Senegal bichir (Polypterus senegalus) is quite often bred in aquariums, and the addition of cooler water is suspected to trigger breeding in this species. It is reasonable to assume that a combination of water changes and temperature changes are key factors here. If you want to breed the Senegal bichir, you should begin buy ensuring that the environment in which you keep the potential parents are perfect for them. The water quality should be superb, frequent water changes must be performed, and the aquarium must of course be of suitable size. Keep the pH slightly acidic and make sure the water is soft. A varied diet with plenty of meaty live foods is recommended.
The male Bichir distinguishes itself from the female Bichir by having a considerably broader anal fin. You can only sex mature Bichirs, since immature males will have an anal fin similar to the anal fin of a female Bichir. Male Bichirs also tend to be smaller than female Bichirs, and some mature Bichir males should allegedly have a thicker dorsal spine than the females.
The Senegal bichir has breeding rituals that typically last for a day or longer. The male Bichir will chase the female, and he will also bump into her with his snout. The female will try to locate a suitable spawning site before she deposits any eggs, and you should therefore provide her with bushy plants before you try to induce breeding. A heavily planted aquarium with bushy and fine-leaved plants is recommended. You can also insert special spawning mops into the aquarium.
The female Bichir will deposit from 100 to 300 eggs during several days. She deposits several eggs each time, and the eggs are fertilized by the male when he cups his anal and caudal fins around the genital area of the female Bichir. The male takes the eggs, fertilizes them and they are then scattered over the plants. A Bichir egg is 2-3 millimetres and slightly adhesive. It will stick to the plants until the fry hatch after three or four days. Bichirs will sometimes eat their own eggs, so it would be a good idea to remove the parents from the aquarium as soon as the final fertilization is completed.
The Bichir fry have external gills. You should wait roughly a week before you start feeding the fry, since they should eat their entire yolk sac first. The first food should be small live food, such as newly hatched Brine Shrimp (Artemia nauplii) or Microworms. Place the food near the fry when you feed them, since newly hatched Bichir fry are not very active hunters. Since older Bichir fry tend to be cannibalistic, you should remove larger fry from smaller fry as they grow if you want to ensure a high overall survival rate.
I got lucky with two water changes in one week. I was trying to get my nitrates down. I came home from lunch one day and noticed all my bichirs nosing the ground. Turns out they were eating the eggs from my ornates. I have tried to duplicate this but no luck. I need to get the ornates their own tank.
and how many years have you kept them?