Housing for Polys

[blksubykid]

I think a natural looking tank looks the best and is better for them. I have black sand, rocks and plenty of driftwood to make caves for them. They feel safer knowing that they have a place to hide if they need one and I think that makes them more active than being in a tank without any caves. Every bichir I've seen at the LFS just kind of lays there because they have no place to hide. But when they're in a tank with driftwood, they seem to be much more active.

I completely agree! I have mine in pool filter sand with tons of driftwood and fake plants. All my polys seem to have their their own favorite parts of the tank, but minutes later will stacked ontop of one another. Its fun just watching them swimming around.

 

[lix.ma14]

give you bichir plenty of hiding places and i won't recommend gravel for ur fish. Ur bichir might swallow it. I use silica sand.

 

[gtpsuper24]

i haven't had any problems with the red flourite clay chips. There is gravel and small rocks in the wild so shouldn't be too much problem in the tank too, I wonder if there is a lot of polys dead in the wild from eating gravel? Polys don't live in bare tanks in the wild so why bare tanks in captivity.

 

[titustitus]

alright got it! anyone knows how to settle the sand in without the cloudiness taking place? always gets me..

 

[dbcb314]

Sens actually seem to enjoy floating plants IME. Mine stays in the upper water column most of the day, except feeding

 

[NCStateFisher]

my guys love to hang out in the top of my water sprite and wisteria, also under anubias and in a couple small slate caves i've built and all up around the driftwood

 

[PaiLum92]

Buy pool filter sand, its great. You dont need to worry about cloudyness or anything, its a heavy grain, so it sinks right away, also good for when they are swiming along the bottom, it rarely gets kicked up and if it does it settles immediately.. Just turn your filter off when you add it in, not sure if it coud suck any in or not, but better to be on the safe side than not..

Also, a good place my Del loves to hide is in some plants i rigged to the top of the aquarium.. I simply took some parts of other plants, tied them together with a piece of fishing line, and taped the line to the outside of the tank.. he loves hiding there...