New in Bichir keeping.

[AquaIcarus]

Hi guys.. Im new in bichir keeping, i have many questions too ask about bichir, still kinda confuse about them.. btw Im from Philippines...

currently I have 10 bichir
3 P.Lap(2 dark bodied[Both 5"] 1 white bodied[6"])
1 P.Cognicus(white bodied 6")
2 P.Ednli Endli(5" both)
2 P.Ornate (both 5")
1 P.Delhezi (5")
1 P.Senegal (3")

but im focusing on my main tank just a 75 gallon tank (36x18x18) lxwxh
in my 75 gallon tank:
3 lap
1 congo
2 endli
1 flagtail(2.5")

Question:
1st- is my bichir in the tank too much??? can they grow there atlease 10-12" before i upgrade my tank again?

2nd-how many years before a bichir grows 10-12" starting from 5-6"?

3rd-my filtration is just a 4ft trickle filter(trickle filter is like a biological filter but much larger) im also using a rio2500 submersible pump... my filter medias are
top=sponge,wool
middle=biocubes,wool
bottom=siporax(ceramic rings with good quality),wool
is this enough filtration for a 75 gallon tank with 7 fishes?

4th-how many time do i need to water change every week? how many % of water to be change atlease? if once a week how many % too?

5th-if I do water change, about 20-40% do I still need to use an aged water to fill the tank again? or i can use a tap water then il just put stress coat(product of API removes chlorine/chloramine) on the tank? is there any difference??

6th-how many times do I need to feed my bichir daily?

7th-is substrate like black gravel or sand, driftwood required in a bichir tank?
what if there is no substrate?? will the true color of bichir still come out??(specifically on P.Lap) because my white bodied P.Lapradei right now doesnt show some stripes,

Advance thanks for the answers,

 

[Divasen]

Hi guys.. Im new in bichir keeping, i have many questions too ask about bichir, still kinda confuse about them.. btw Im from Philippines...

currently I have 10 bichir
3 P.Lap(2 dark bodied[Both 5"] 1 white bodied[6"])
1 P.Cognicus(white bodied 6")
2 P.Ednli Endli(5" both)
2 P.Ornate (both 5")
1 P.Delhezi (5")
1 P.Senegal (3")

but im focusing on my main tank just a 75 gallon tank (36x18x18) lxwxh
in my 75 gallon tank:
3 lap
1 congo
2 endli
1 flagtail(2.5")

Question:
1st- is my bichir in the tank too much??? can they grow there atlease 10-12" before i upgrade my tank again?
.
2nd-how many years before a bichir grows 10-12" starting from 5-6"?

3rd-my filtration is just a 4ft trickle filter(trickle filter is like a biological filter but much larger) im also using a rio2500 submersible pump... my filter medias are
top=sponge,wool
middle=biocubes,wool
bottom=siporax(ceramic rings with good quality),wool
is this enough filtration for a 75 gallon tank with 7 fishes?
How many liters of bio media in there in this filter?
4th-how many time do i need to water change every week? how many % of water to be change atlease? if once a week how many % too?

5th-if I do water change, about 20-40% do I still need to use an aged water to fill the tank again? or i can use a tap water then il just put stress coat(product of API removes chlorine/chloramine) on the tank? is there any difference??



6th-how many times do I need to feed my bichir daily?


7th-is substrate like black gravel or sand, driftwood required in a bichir tank?
what if there is no substrate?? will the true color of bichir still come out??(specifically on P.Lap) because my white bodied P.Lapradei right now doesnt show some stripes,



Advance thanks for the answers,

Hi,
1)It all depends on your filter in this tank, and the bio load
2)I would say a few months not years on a good diet and alot of water changes, my endi's grew from 10cms to 25cms in abt 6mths.
3) How many liters of bio media do you have in the filter?
4)If you are trying to grow them fast, i would do WC every sec/thrid day,twice a week. if i was doing WC 2x a week i would change 20%-30%
Once a week 40%-50%
5)Aged water is always better in my opinion, as the chlorine will evaporate, I use a anti chlorine and leave my water to stand for a few hours just to make sure it has worked and the water is safe for my fish.
6)For growing them fast i would say two times a day, pls dont over feed, what are you feeding them?
7)I have black sand in my tank and it brings out the colour in my poly's, also you can use a red/orange sand HAO one the members on here has it in his tank do a search for him and look at his poly's and tank. Pls use a fine gravel as poly's sometimes eat gravel if it smells like food.

What tank are you planing to get for these fish as a 75gallon will become small for them in no time?

 

[King-eL]

Answers in RED

Hi guys.. Im new in bichir keeping, i have many questions too ask about bichir, still kinda confuse about them.. btw Im from Philippines...

currently I have 10 bichir
3 P.Lap(2 dark bodied[Both 5"] 1 white bodied[6"])
1 P.Cognicus(white bodied 6")
2 P.Ednli Endli(5" both)
2 P.Ornate (both 5")
1 P.Delhezi (5")
1 P.Senegal (3")

but im focusing on my main tank just a 75 gallon tank (36x18x18) lxwxh
in my 75 gallon tank:
3 lap
1 congo
2 endli
1 flagtail(2.5")
36X18X18 is not a 75g but even smaller than 75g. It's 67g.

Question:
1st- is my bichir in the tank too much??? can they grow there atlease 10-12" before i upgrade my tank again?
You need a bigger tank for all those bichir or they will get stunted and stay at max 16". Especially the congi that grows much bigger than the rest. The del and sene are fine in that tank for life.

2nd-how many years before a bichir grows 10-12" starting from 5-6"?
For growth, it would depend on how much food you giving them, how many times a day you feed them. How much nutritional value does the food contain. Larger tank will make them grow fast as well and small tank will depend on how much water change you do will also play the part of the growth of the bichirs. Fish produce pheromones as a natural defense from outgrowing it surrounding. The more pheromones in the water the more likely it will get stunted. By doing water changes, we lessen the pheromones that our fish produce in the tank. pheromones do not evaporate so even with massive filter it will remain their unless water change is done. Congi, endli, lap and ornate are fast growing in the first year. Endli and congi especially will get up to 12" or more in less than a year. Del and sene however will likely be 2-3 years to get to that size. some however as faster than other and get to 12" in a year.

3rd-my filtration is just a 4ft trickle filter(trickle filter is like a biological filter but much larger) im also using a rio2500 submersible pump... my filter medias are
top=sponge,wool
middle=biocubes,wool
bottom=siporax(ceramic rings with good quality),wool
is this enough filtration for a 75 gallon tank with 7 fishes?
Should be fine.

4th-how many time do i need to water change every week? how many % of water to be change atlease? if once a week how many % too?
Well for me I usually do minimum of 50% water change every week. It will also depend on the bio-load in the tank. Do more if needed.

5th-if I do water change, about 20-40% do I still need to use an aged water to fill the tank again? or i can use a tap water then il just put stress coat(product of API removes chlorine/chloramine) on the tank? is there any difference??
Age water is always better but you can use chlorine remover too but that will make you spend more.

6th-how many times do I need to feed my bichir daily?
That would up to you on how many times you feed them. If they look skinny, then feed more. As long as they won't go hungry and you filter can handle the bio-load. Also try to observe on how much they can finish or their will be left over which will cause foul water if left for too long. Or the left over will poison the bichirs as they are opportunistic eater and might try to eat the left over food that stayed in the tank for too long. Always remove left overs.

7th-is substrate like black gravel or sand, driftwood required in a bichir tank?
what if there is no substrate?? will the true color of bichir still come out??(specifically on P.Lap) because my white bodied P.Lapradei right now doesnt show some stripes,
Laps or any from the sp. bichir complex are picky about their substrates. With bare bottom tank it may not or may just show a faint patterns. Also the base color will be light thus the body looks white. With white substrates, it won't develop any patterns and end up looking creamy white. Black or dark brown substrates will darken up the base color and in some cases it will develop some green patches. Depending on the genes of the bichir. It may or may not show a high contrast patterns. Red, orange, pink or tan substrates can make the patterns show up in high contrast thus many bichir keepers, especially in Japan use red color for substrates. Best to mix them with red, tan with slight of black and buff color for best result.

As for gravel or sand. Many try to avoid gravel as their are many cases that a bichir swallowed some gravel and died from the result. Unless the gravel is small or very fine, then it should be good. But I prefer sand as I don't want any risk.
Advance thanks for the answers,

Welcome to bichir addiction and hope to see some pics soon.

 

[AquaIcarus]

Hi,
1)It all depends on your filter in this tank, and the bio load
2)I would say a few months not years on a good diet and alot of water changes, my endi's grew from 10cms to 25cms in abt 6mths.
3) How many liters of bio media do you have in the filter?
4)If you are trying to grow them fast, i would do WC every sec/thrid day,twice a week. if i was doing WC 2x a week i would change 20%-30%
Once a week 40%-50%
5)Aged water is always better in my opinion, as the chlorine will evaporate, I use a anti chlorine and leave my water to stand for a few hours just to make sure it has worked and the water is safe for my fish.
6)For growing them fast i would say two times a day, pls dont over feed, what are you feeding them?
7)I have black sand in my tank and it brings out the colour in my poly's, also you can use a red/orange sand HAO one the members on here has it in his tank do a search for him and look at his poly's and tank. Pls use a fine gravel as poly's sometimes eat gravel if it smells like food.

What tank are you planing to get for these fish as a 75gallon will become small for them in no time?

thanks bro for your answers, yes right now they are in my 75 gallon tank.. when I have enough funds again, i will upgrade my setup, I think to 150 gallons.. is it still to small for them?? red/orange substrate, mix with black or red/orange only?? im having hard time to condition may P.Lap right now, right now i cant see their stripes but im sure it is a P.Lap 100% of ID.. how can i condition my lap? my setup right now is very simple. just a tank, trickle filter, submersible pump,and heater thats all.. what still I need? Bro can you give me advice about 75 gallon setup.. complete set.. thanks

 

[AquaIcarus]

Answers in RED



Welcome to bichir addiction and hope to see some pics soon.

thanks bro for your advice.. right now im just concentrating on P.Lap and P.Cognicus species, I have find them very interesting, bro can you give me advice what setup should i use on my 75 gallon tank? complete set. right now I only have tank,heater,4ft trickle filter,submersible pump.. thats all what still missing in my tank?? what light should i use? becauselast time I use daylight bulb, they swim very fast.. I think they are scared because of the light...

 

[King-eL]

thanks bro for your advice.. right now im just concentrating on P.Lap and P.Cognicus species, I have find them very interesting, bro can you give me advice what setup should i use on my 75 gallon tank? complete set. right now I only have tank,heater,4ft trickle filter,submersible pump.. thats all what still missing in my tank?? what light should i use? becauselast time I use daylight bulb, they swim very fast.. I think they are scared because of the light...

Not sure why you need a heater as Pinas is a tropical country. As for the lights, try to add floating plants to give shades on the bottom. Sene and dels love floating plants as well. Your setup is fine, you just need to save up and get a bigger tank in the future. a 24 inches or 30 inches or more in width of the tank is recommended for a congi and lap.

 

[AquaIcarus]

Not sure why you need a heater as Pinas is a tropical country. As for the lights, try to add floating plants to give shades on the bottom. Sene and dels love floating plants as well. Your setup is fine, you just need to save up and get a bigger tank in the future. a 24 inches or 30 inches or more in width of the tank is recommended for a congi and lap.

because the temperature here now is very cold, its december... and I live at Cavite.. you from Phil too? i dont have del and sene in my 75 gal.. is floating plants good for lap, congo and endli too?? what color of light should i use? moonlight?? any differences? substrate?? no need? my lap isnt showing any stripes right now

 

[Divasen]

thanks bro for your answers, yes right now they are in my 75 gallon tank.. when I have enough funds again, i will upgrade my setup, I think to 150 gallons.. is it still to small for them?? red/orange substrate, mix with black or red/orange only?? im having hard time to condition may P.Lap right now, right now i cant see their stripes but im sure it is a P.Lap 100% of ID.. how can i condition my lap? my setup right now is very simple. just a tank, trickle filter, submersible pump,and heater thats all.. what still I need? Bro can you give me advice about 75 gallon setup.. complete set.. thanks

I see that king, has ans most of your questions,when it comes to polys he is the person to go to.

Goodluck and welcome, looking forward to pics of your fish.

 

[AquaIcarus]

I see that king, has ans most of your questions,when it comes to polys he is the person to go to.

Goodluck and welcome, looking forward to pics of your fish.

ok bro will try to catch pics of my polys, im not good at picture taking goodluck to me haha. and my polys are still small around 6" max but all lower jaw species.

 

[AquaIcarus]

Question?
if i put substrate in my 75 gallon tank what filtration will I use? right now im using a trickle filter 4ft, with a submersible pump(rio 2500) can I put substrate with that kind of filtration? what will I do?? because im planning to put black sand gravel with a mix of red/orange.. just wanna try if its effective and good for bichirs.. what do I need? pls help guys.. thanks