Do Polypterus enjoy eating guppies?

[fivedogs5]

polypterus are slow so generally prepared foods are best but if he can catch em he will eat em!

 

[bsplenden]

Hmmm... To be honest. Lately I am thinking about getting a few LEOPARD CTENOPOMA (Ctenopoma acutirostre) instead of the Polypterus. Frankly, I just want something that will hunt my guppies & ghost shrimp. I worry about the one Polypterus bieng lonely.

You don't have to worry about it being lonely. It can do fine alone.

As for Polypterus being slow, that is true to a certain extent. But they are still fully capable of catching fast preys. All my birchirs can catch platies and tiger barbs with no problem. There will be a couple of misses now and then, but they will and can get it.

They just stay still and wait... Once a fish is close enough, WHAMP! That is how they do it.

 

[David R]

My bichir doesnt get a chance to eat live fish - my dat and ctenopoma always get them first!

 

[Vince]

My Polypterus Lapradei wasn't eating for a whole week, and won't eat the food I put in the tank (beefheart). So I placed one goldfish in there, and he went for that goldfish for like 10 seconds and he has th3e goldfish. Since then it's eaten beefheart. Weird. But it is fun to watch the Polypterus go catch their prey.

 

[beblondie]

My old P.lap ''pickels''used to go on hunger strikes the only way to get him to eat was to place silversides in the plant with their tails sticking out.I guess he had the need to feel he was hunting lol-Anne