So I went by my LFS recently and found they were selling some "Nigerian" Bichirs which I think are just Senegals though their noses seem a bit different, not sure. Anyway, these guys were a good 10" long but these guys were keeping them in tiny little hamster cases within the big tanks they were being housed in. Not even enough room to really turn around. In fact, he was basically stuffed into there, his nose and tail touching either end of the plastic case. 
I finally got paid this week and went in and bought one to put into my 40 gallon breeder tank. I had a 120 gallon tank set up but I had a smaller Bichir, a Pike Cichlid, and a Ropefish in there and I was going to wait for a while in order to let them grow for a bit before I put in the big boy but now this 10" Bichir is acting strangely.
He seems pretty sluggish now and for a while he was flapping his pectorals trying to move but wasn't getting anywhere. I'm not sure if it's bloat at all but it looks like he's kind of fat on the part of his body just an inch down from his skull where as the rest of his body is kind of thin. I put one packet of bloodworms into his 40 gallon breeder for him to eat since I figured he hadn't eaten in a while considering how the LFS kept him but I'm not sure he had any.
I went over BeBlondie's amazing health stickies but I'm really not sure if it's bloat or not and it looks like the lump is beginnging to give him that bent-downwards-neck issue. It also just seems like he's really slow, really struggling to swim around. I was afraid it had something to do with the 40 gallon at first even though my other Bichir and Ropefish had been in there for maybe 8 months and just moved into the 120 this week and never had any issues - Though honestly I've been a bit lazy with the maintenance on that tank lately.
Anyway, I put the 10 incher into the 120 a little while ago, which has had better care. He's swimming a bit more but he's still acting strange.
Geez, sorry for the wall of text, but I really need some help with this guy. I'd like to give him a nice home outside of that hamster case.
I finally got paid this week and went in and bought one to put into my 40 gallon breeder tank. I had a 120 gallon tank set up but I had a smaller Bichir, a Pike Cichlid, and a Ropefish in there and I was going to wait for a while in order to let them grow for a bit before I put in the big boy but now this 10" Bichir is acting strangely.
He seems pretty sluggish now and for a while he was flapping his pectorals trying to move but wasn't getting anywhere. I'm not sure if it's bloat at all but it looks like he's kind of fat on the part of his body just an inch down from his skull where as the rest of his body is kind of thin. I put one packet of bloodworms into his 40 gallon breeder for him to eat since I figured he hadn't eaten in a while considering how the LFS kept him but I'm not sure he had any.
I went over BeBlondie's amazing health stickies but I'm really not sure if it's bloat or not and it looks like the lump is beginnging to give him that bent-downwards-neck issue. It also just seems like he's really slow, really struggling to swim around. I was afraid it had something to do with the 40 gallon at first even though my other Bichir and Ropefish had been in there for maybe 8 months and just moved into the 120 this week and never had any issues - Though honestly I've been a bit lazy with the maintenance on that tank lately.
Anyway, I put the 10 incher into the 120 a little while ago, which has had better care. He's swimming a bit more but he's still acting strange.Geez, sorry for the wall of text, but I really need some help with this guy. I'd like to give him a nice home outside of that hamster case.
