Just wondering how you all do it?

[Jenna23]

Hello,

I'm new to the site, but not to the hobby. I've been reading around here in the poly forum and noticed that many of you have your bichirs for quite sometime. I've been trying with bichirs for a while not but it seems like the longest I've owned one is about 2 years. My h2o parameters are good b/c I never have any problems with any other fish but, bichirs. I've had ornates, and sometimes they stop eating so I try to change their diets, I've done GF, silversides, beef heart, beef liver (although I've never gotten a bichir to eat pellets) and then out of no where BAM they die. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and I've read the stickies. For long time owners, does it just take a while to get it? I'm kind of jealous/at a loss.

 

[Stump]

I suppose I am a bit out of my element here, because I've only had my bichirs for months, not years...


It's strange the way you said they just "die."

It may have something to do with the diet (i'm by no means saying it is). Fish cannot process/digest mammalian fat very well, which leads to health problems over time. Did/do you trim all the fat off of the beefheart and such?

 

[King-eL]

What's your water parameters? What other fish you're keeping right now and fish that you were keeping with the bichirs before? What size was your bichir? How big is you tank and how often do you feed your bichirs? How often do you do water change?

It's kinda weird when you said that it was not eating pellets even at 2 years. Normally bichirs will eat anything that they thinks it's food and taste good to them. My bichirs will start eating pellets from the first time I got them or after 2 weeks of starvation.

 

[SUNFLOWER]

well Bichirs are wild cought and some times they have internal parasites and some times when we do water chages you do not know what the city put in the water and food from handlders and how they are shipped and kept till they are purchased buy you. many factures play apart also enviroment in the home aquarium and most of all stress kills.

 

[Jenna23]

interesting, interesting. I always trimmed the fat off the beef heart. I used to make little packets and freeze it. As for h20 parameters, NOW (by now I mean like the last 2 years) everything is in the clear I always check my water, about once a week). Water changes are 1/4 weekly, and a step change bi monthly. Fish before were Frontosa, a green terror, pleco (yes i saw the post that they are not good tank mates) and some angel fish, until they "mysteriously" disappeared (every bichir has seemed to find my angel fish extremely delish). Now, today, I still have my frontosa he's about 10 in, but never bothers the bichir) a juvenile green terror, and a pleco. I have a pcv tube behind a rock that the bichir goes into, or he hides in a log. And tank size is 85 gl. I feed the bichir twice a week.

If I'm doing something wrong plz let me know, i love these little guys, they remind me of dogs. lol

 

[Rockbass6]

Try hikari massivore or hikari carnivore pellets for small species, I have ordered wild polys and had them eating all eating pellets withing 2 days. What species senegal? I can't believe in two years they wouldn't eat pellets, mine beg for them. This is kind of wierd because bichir is normally the fish people don't have as much trouble with as they are hardier. imo

 

[King-eL]

interesting, interesting. I always trimmed the fat off the beef heart. I used to make little packets and freeze it. As for h20 parameters, NOW (by now I mean like the last 2 years) everything is in the clear I always check my water, about once a week). Water changes are 1/4 weekly, and a step change bi monthly. Fish before were Frontosa, a green terror, pleco (yes i saw the post that they are not good tank mates) and some angel fish, until they "mysteriously" disappeared (every bichir has seemed to find my angel fish extremely delish). Now, today, I still have my frontosa he's about 10 in, but never bothers the bichir) a juvenile green terror, and a pleco. I have a pcv tube behind a rock that the bichir goes into, or he hides in a log. And tank size is 85 gl. I feed the bichir twice a week.

If I'm doing something wrong plz let me know, i love these little guys, they remind me of dogs. lol

What kind of pleco are you keeping with the bichirs before. Common and sailfin plecos are not the best tankmates for any ganoid scaled fish. Some other species of plecos can be mix well with bochirs. I have a galaxy vampire plecos and a bunch of cactus type plecos with my bichirs and they never bother each other. Some bristle nose and some panaque could work too but not all. Depend on the species of plecos.

 

[Jenna23]

Try hikari massivore or hikari carnivore pellets for small species, I have ordered wild polys and had them eating all eating pellets withing 2 days. What species senegal? I can't believe in two years they wouldn't eat pellets, mine beg for them. This is kind of wierd because bichir is normally the fish people don't have as much trouble with as they are hardier. imo

That's what I've been reading. However, I have to admit I've never tried to feed any of my bichirs pellets. Previously I have always owned ornates, but I currently have and Endli (which is now suffering from sbd) I just can't seem to get it right and I always feel bad . I think I might be over feeding, as in too much food at one time.

Pleco- now I believe is a sail fin and I never had any issues with it, until just recently its become really agressive attacking (as a pleco attacks lol) ALL of my fish . I am going to take it to a FS, its peeving me off.

 

[trevorich]

my bichirs get minnows 1x a month, i drop meal worms in the tank 3x a week, and they get cut up shrimp daily. they also go for the earth worm pellets i drop in there every second day. Had them for 6 years....oops better say my bichir, had an accident this week with one of em. Hope that helps. oh, i feed once a day. at 9 am

 

[King-eL]

That's what I've been reading. However, I have to admit I've never tried to feed any of my bichirs pellets. Previously I have always owned ornates, but I currently have and Endli (which is now suffering from sbd) I just can't seem to get it right and I always feel bad . I think I might be over feeding, as in too much food at one time.

Pleco- now I believe is a sail fin and I never had any issues with it, until just recently its become really agressive attacking (as a pleco attacks lol) ALL of my fish . I am going to take it to a FS, its peeving me off.

You may not see the sailfin pleco sucking on the slime of the bichirs during lights on, but it probably did it during lights off. You bichirs were probably got stress out from the pleco and died. Adults bichirs are prone to being attack by the plecos than smaller bichirs. Smaller bichirs are sometimes being ignored as they move faster and can hide.