Help with stockin bichirs

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
S

s1c

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 30, 2012
509
2
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Cichlids, America
So Im getting ready to set up an 65 gallon tank with these bad boys.
All juveniles about maybe an 1inch probally less.Im only 16 and I've been trying to learn about these bichirs and the sights I go on are all advance and confusing and say different things compared to the other sights. So I thought One day im a member of MFK, why not go to the bichir section and post my questions and concerns. Im very thankful for those who help me with this Thank you.

1. Is a 65gallon big enough for a bichir?
2. Do they eat live food?
3.Separate feeding?
4. Do they prefer rocks or sand?
5. Can they defend themselves from the cichlids?
6.How many species which one will suit best for a 65?

x1-Jack dempsey
x1-Green terror
x1-Firemouth
x1-Pleco (about 3.5inches)
x1-Bichir
 
Lot's of yes and no's here.

a 65 Should be ok.
yes they eat tank mates, feeder etc
yes and no - i use big grippers and lower down lancer fish, silversides, and krill to my Lapradei. but many just learn to eat pellets over time
mine like sand just fine
yea and no - they know to move if being bothered, they are big and armored, but constant beating by a cichlid with any form of teethe will slowly take them apart.
 
I dont know too much about them but what I have learned is they are hit and miss w / cichlids especially when they are young...they like live food (as well as flake..pellet) sand is good...small tankmates get eaten...active , agg, cichlids probably are going to stress them ...
 
You can get what ever size bichir you want. You should probably stay with the upper jaws as they won't grow out your tank other than the ornate and weeksi. Another thing is you can't have the pleco.
 
ditch the pleco. It'll suck on the slime coat of the bichir. I normally don't advise putting cichlids with bichirs either since they might bully the bichir.
 
- you will have to stick with some of the smaller bichir species to work long term in your tank.
- i have fed live worms and shrimp, but never fish. their diet is mostly sinking carnivore pellets.
- sand.
- i have a green terror cichlid with my bichirs and they mostly ignore each other. i have only seen the gt mess with my big ornate a couple of times and the ornate ignores him and the gt gives up and swims away. Its actually been a while since i have seen that happen at all and they have been housed together for over a year. I would assume the 3 cichlids you have listed there would be ok but i wouldnt try anything more aggressive.
- one of the best looking, more readily available smaller species is the delhezi bichir.
- i too would be concerned about the pleco with the bichirs from what i have read on MFK, but i don't have any personal experience with that.
 
here are the only species of bichirs that can live in 65 gallon tank comfortablly for life: you can choose 2 to 4

albino
senegal
palmas
gold dust palmas
delhezi
mokebelembe
retropinnis.

Of course if you are planning to upgrade, the bichir world is yours to explore.
 
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