How come my bichirs never friggin grow!!!
- Thread starter lix.ma14
- Start date
I wouldn't worry about growth too much. They will grow regardless. I've learned over the years to just be patient
Like many suggest, bump up your water change percentage (I do a 50% weekly change myself), Variety in diet can help. Mine feed on Massivores, Shrimp, and cut pieces of Fish.
My biggest Del is 10" and she's been with me for a few years now. I also have some Polli that haven't growth in almost a year (currently at 7"). My first Endli is actually my smallest of my trio. She's about 4 years old and last I checked was 8" (probably a little more now). They are growing, just slowly. I've learned to enjoy the slow growth as it does give you a bit more time to plan your next tank.
Like many suggest, bump up your water change percentage (I do a 50% weekly change myself), Variety in diet can help. Mine feed on Massivores, Shrimp, and cut pieces of Fish.
My biggest Del is 10" and she's been with me for a few years now. I also have some Polli that haven't growth in almost a year (currently at 7"). My first Endli is actually my smallest of my trio. She's about 4 years old and last I checked was 8" (probably a little more now). They are growing, just slowly. I've learned to enjoy the slow growth as it does give you a bit more time to plan your next tank.
from 2" - 4" in the first month for mine.
Both the Delhezi, senegal and ornate grew at least 2" and I've had them a month this weekend.
Senegals without a doubt grow the fastest. I actually have experienced the same problem in the past of slow growing bichirs. I would like to share with the others out there how I turned things around.
I kept bichirs before with african cichlids and south american cichlids and got a relatively slow growth out of them. Managed to get a 1" per month from my senegal that was in with small american cichlids. What I did this time, buy a bunch of 2" bichirs and put them in a 20 gallon long with a 30g filter attached. I feed them around 3-4 times a day they also get live minnows to hunt whenever they feel like it. I do 10% water changes every 2 days and today I did a 35%. So why i get such an amazing growth rate?
Tankmates and feeding schedule are the main reasons.
If you isolated your bichirs in a grow out and fed them well and did regular water changes they would shoot up. Bichirs are a non aggressive species and in general will totally ignore their tankmates. If they feel like they are threatened by their tankmates they will come out less and feed less. my bichirs live with a small datnoid and a Irwini catfish. they all totally ignore eachother and get along great.
stress free comfortable bichirs with suitable tankmates, good water quality and regular feedings will easily hit 1-2" per month.
Ornate day 1
2" long and extremely skinny
3 weeks later
4" fat and friednly
if you click onto my Imgur you will see that those 2 images were uploaded 3 weeks apart. good luck with growing your Bichirs!
Like to add, a well varied diet is also the key. Live, sinking pellets, shrimp pellets, cut prawns, blood worms, catfish/tilapia fillets, crickets, mealworms/superworms. try to give your bichir lots of different foods! Super worms are not an issue they do not "bite through your fish" they drown in about 10 seconds once they hit the water. If you are super worried, cut the heads off but the whole myth is a load of crap.
Both the Delhezi, senegal and ornate grew at least 2" and I've had them a month this weekend.
Senegals without a doubt grow the fastest. I actually have experienced the same problem in the past of slow growing bichirs. I would like to share with the others out there how I turned things around.
I kept bichirs before with african cichlids and south american cichlids and got a relatively slow growth out of them. Managed to get a 1" per month from my senegal that was in with small american cichlids. What I did this time, buy a bunch of 2" bichirs and put them in a 20 gallon long with a 30g filter attached. I feed them around 3-4 times a day they also get live minnows to hunt whenever they feel like it. I do 10% water changes every 2 days and today I did a 35%. So why i get such an amazing growth rate?
Tankmates and feeding schedule are the main reasons.
If you isolated your bichirs in a grow out and fed them well and did regular water changes they would shoot up. Bichirs are a non aggressive species and in general will totally ignore their tankmates. If they feel like they are threatened by their tankmates they will come out less and feed less. my bichirs live with a small datnoid and a Irwini catfish. they all totally ignore eachother and get along great.
stress free comfortable bichirs with suitable tankmates, good water quality and regular feedings will easily hit 1-2" per month.
Ornate day 1
2" long and extremely skinny
3 weeks later
4" fat and friednly
if you click onto my Imgur you will see that those 2 images were uploaded 3 weeks apart. good luck with growing your Bichirs!
Like to add, a well varied diet is also the key. Live, sinking pellets, shrimp pellets, cut prawns, blood worms, catfish/tilapia fillets, crickets, mealworms/superworms. try to give your bichir lots of different foods! Super worms are not an issue they do not "bite through your fish" they drown in about 10 seconds once they hit the water. If you are super worried, cut the heads off but the whole myth is a load of crap.
My bichirs are ignoring the talapia?? what's the problem?? I haven't cleaned my tank for over a week. Is that the problem? dirty water stress? My angelfish and bass are eating fine.
They ignore food they are not familiar with. Not all foods trigger a feeding response. Fish are very primitive, you could soak a cigarette butt in garlic and see a feeding frenzy. But fresh fish wont be noticed. Keep trying a variety of food, as they get older they learn or adapt to your feeding - or your adapting to them lol
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A couple here mention feeding raw chicken to bichirs. Can someone tell me the benefit of feeding raw chicken to bichirs or any freshwater fish for that matter? And I mean a better reason than, "it needs a varied diet" because I can think of tons of other things you can feed bichirs instead of raw chicken.
I feed my bichirs tilapia (70% of their diet), hikari sinking carnivore pellets, NLS sinking pellets, earthworms, smelt, mysis shrimp, & krill. 60-70% weekly water change in my bichir only tanks. Sometimes 2x WC per week depending on bioload.
I feed my bichirs tilapia (70% of their diet), hikari sinking carnivore pellets, NLS sinking pellets, earthworms, smelt, mysis shrimp, & krill. 60-70% weekly water change in my bichir only tanks. Sometimes 2x WC per week depending on bioload.
yeah, they are prolly not familair with it, if you want them to start on talapia i suggest not feeding them for a few days, do a few water changes to get the water pristine then feed them with some talapia at night with the lights out and the next day you'll see lumpy bichirs for sure hahah
if all else fails, rip prawns up into little pieces and scatter them aroudn the tank. any predator fish will eat them over night. my bichirs eat them the moment they go in, as does my dat
Okay thanks guys! The talapia were gone over night but IKK what fish ate it cuz non of them were fat! The next phase is to make them eat hikiri carnivor pellets.
Came home after summer school and I cut up some pellets. The bichirs idnored it!! only my baby bass was interested. the pellets are right in front of their noses but they don't een budge!! Are they just getting used to them??
I just did a 55% WC today (biggest ever!).
Do your bichirs ever seen uninterested in the food you feed them?? If yes, in what occaision?? I'll try more hikari tonight.
Came home after summer school and I cut up some pellets. The bichirs idnored it!! only my baby bass was interested. the pellets are right in front of their noses but they don't een budge!! Are they just getting used to them??
I just did a 55% WC today (biggest ever!).
Do your bichirs ever seen uninterested in the food you feed them?? If yes, in what occaision?? I'll try more hikari tonight.
