I'm just now getting to the point where I set up my own fish tanks and i'm starting to get in to it a lot more. This weekend i'm going home to pick up the biggest tank we have and bring it back to my apartment, i'm not sure if it's 37 gallon or 50 gallon, the dimensions are approx. 37" long x 24" tall x 12.5" wide (if anybody knows whether thats 37 or 50 i'd appreciate it). On to my main question, I would really like to purchase a pair of senegal bichir's or pictus catfish, but I need to know some things about them from people who have experience with them first hand. My Girlfriend's grandparents are getting a new 100 gallon tank soon and i get their old 100 gallon around christmas, so my question is could anybody tell me if they think the tank I am picking up this weekend will be big enough for 2 juvenile senegals or pictus for the next 3-4 months and also how much I could expect them to grow in that time (assuming they are between 2 and 4 inches when purchased) - I'm leaning towards the bichir's but my girlfriend likes the pictus better haha. Any insight you guys could help me out with would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
Need Advice (polypterus/bichir/pictus cat question)
- Thread starter NCStateFisher
- Start date
I've had one senegal bichir for close to 2 months now and he's grown from about 3 inches to about 4. I picked up a second around 3" about 2 weeks ago and I haven't noticed him grow yet. I kept both of them in a 20gal with a 2inch Jack Dempsey and they were fine (the dempsey started fin-nipping after about a week). I moved them in to my new 65gal a few days ago and haven't seen any fin-nipping since then.
I think you'd be fine to keep them in that tank for the time you're looking at. My 65 is (from memory, could be off) 36"x19"x24" and my hope is to keep them in there for the next year+ before I can afford a tank with a bigger bottom.
With poly's you don't need to worry as much about the depth (shallower is even said to be better by many people, since they need to reach the surface on occasion to breathe). But for floor space I think ideally you want something closer to 4feet long and 1-2 feet wide. Senegals are some of the smaller poly's though, so you should be ok at least for a while.
I don't know anything about pictus cats. The other thing with poly's is to be careful about tank mates. You don't want anything that will fit in their mouths, you don't want pleco's (they'll kill your poly's by eating the slimecoats) and I don't think you want anything overly aggressive as the poly's are actually pretty passive--they just get labeled as aggressive since they'll eat anything small enough to be eaten.
I'm not an expert, I've only been keeping aquariums for the past 3 months or so, but I have been reading a lot. So if anyone with more experience chimes in and calls me wrong, take their advice not mine
I think you'd be fine to keep them in that tank for the time you're looking at. My 65 is (from memory, could be off) 36"x19"x24" and my hope is to keep them in there for the next year+ before I can afford a tank with a bigger bottom.
With poly's you don't need to worry as much about the depth (shallower is even said to be better by many people, since they need to reach the surface on occasion to breathe). But for floor space I think ideally you want something closer to 4feet long and 1-2 feet wide. Senegals are some of the smaller poly's though, so you should be ok at least for a while.
I don't know anything about pictus cats. The other thing with poly's is to be careful about tank mates. You don't want anything that will fit in their mouths, you don't want pleco's (they'll kill your poly's by eating the slimecoats) and I don't think you want anything overly aggressive as the poly's are actually pretty passive--they just get labeled as aggressive since they'll eat anything small enough to be eaten.
I'm not an expert, I've only been keeping aquariums for the past 3 months or so, but I have been reading a lot. So if anyone with more experience chimes in and calls me wrong, take their advice not mine
I appreciate the advice, i think if anything i might put a couple tin foil or red-finned barbs in with them and those get big enough and are full bodied enough to not get eaten i think
I think I've heard that barbs do ok with them. I've gotten myself into a real pickle with choosing tank mates...nothing small enough to get eaten, nothing aggressive enough to kill my bichirs, nothing passive enough to get screwed by the dempsey, no plecos, no this no that or that 
I'll figure it out eventually. At this point if I can find something that I can add like a school of 6 or so and they'll survive, I might just go for that. Either that or just leave it with what I have and have a relatively empty tank. We'll see.
I just noticed you're in NC....me too. What are the odds eh?
Good luck with your new tank.
I'll figure it out eventually. At this point if I can find something that I can add like a school of 6 or so and they'll survive, I might just go for that. Either that or just leave it with what I have and have a relatively empty tank. We'll see.
I just noticed you're in NC....me too. What are the odds eh?
Good luck with your new tank.
Moloch;4504432; said:I think I've heard that barbs do ok with them. I've gotten myself into a real pickle with choosing tank mates...nothing small enough to get eaten, nothing aggressive enough to kill my bichirs, nothing passive enough to get screwed by the dempsey, no plecos, no this no that or that
I'll figure it out eventually. At this point if I can find something that I can add like a school of 6 or so and they'll survive, I might just go for that. Either that or just leave it with what I have and have a relatively empty tank. We'll see.
I just noticed you're in NC....me too. What are the odds eh?
Good luck with your new tank.
Well...well...look who's soaked up all the advise and is now returning the favor, kudos to you Moloch good advise.
To add my little 2 cents, I've found when keeping them with cichlids its best to have other cichlids to draw the attention away from the bichir. Only fish I've had that had a problem with my bichir was a femal jack, but she stopped after awhile. My tankmates include:
BGK (Black Ghost Knife)
4 Tinfoil barbs
Firemouth
Female Jack
Acei cichlid
Severum
Tiger Oscar (make sure the tiger is same size or smaller while growing out)
Peacock Eel
Pictus Cat
Raphael Cat
African Featherfin Cat
1 Hi-Fin Pleco (not reccomended but have not seen issue so far, well fed)
It has worked for me for the past few months (they are in a grow out tank and will not be together for life) but your experiences may/will differ.
Edit: IMO a 100g would be fine for 2 senegal Bichir, and a few pictus cats.
Edit Again (I really need to read better): the tank you are getting this weekend should house them fine until you get your 100g.
Whats the point in learning it all if I'm not going to help out? Besides...its the least I can do to make up for spamming the board and hi-jacking so many threads
Thats kind of what I figured as far as keeping other cichlids in the tank to bicker amongst themselves and leave the poly's alone. Every time I see pictus cats in the store there are 5-6+ in the tank, all about 3 inches long, and they do NOT stop moving...are they that active once you put them in an appropriate sized home and away from so many other cats? And do they mess with slimecoat like pleco's do? I'm interested in looking at one now. I'm kind of thinking a green terror to match the dempsey, a pictus cat, and then maybe some severums or tinfoil barbs. I'd love to get a BGK but I can't even dream that I'll be able to house him by the time he grows out of the 65, might settle for an ABK though. Do the pictus cats really stay around 8" or is the petsmart info card wrong on that?
Ok I'm done.
Here I go hijacking another thread
my pictus cat is only about 4" and I hear conflicting stories about max size from 6"-10", I'm hoping for 10". Also mine is super hyper ADHD, but will zoom in on a peice of tilapia or bloodworm cube like a shark. As for if it gets along with my bichir, I dont even think my pictus knows my bichir exists.
Cool....so even if it were to reach 10" it should be ok in a 65, or at least it probably wouldn't reach that absolute maximum growth for a few years yeah?
Sounds like I might know my next new addition soon...
Sounds like I might know my next new addition soon...
Thanks for the advice everybody, and yeah 45 sounds right i did the volume calculations earlier and got something around there. I'd really like to get a couple chiclids i've just never had them and don't want to get the wrong ones hah. I really like green terrors, managuense, black convict, and bumbleee chiclids, pretty sure all but the bumblebee are south american chiclids, who knows maybe some day i know managuense get huge and convicts reproduce like crazy, and idea if green terrors or bumblebees would be compatible with the bichirs as long as i give the bichirs a slight head start on growing? also anything special i should know about chiclids that are more difficult than any other fish? thanks
i know managuense get huge and convicts reproduce like crazy, and idea if green terrors or bumblebees would be compatible with the bichirs as long as i give the bichirs a slight head start on growing? also anything special i should know about chiclids that are more difficult than any other fish? thanks