I have been keeping fish for quite some time. I have Cichlid tanks, I have Comet tanks, but now I have a 150 gallon tank. I was tired of the "Normal" Fish, so I let the guy talk me into an ornate bichir. He is a great looking fish. I found out that he does indeed eat anything that fits into his mouth. He ate a danio that was a little less than half as long as he is. I was concerned at first because my comets have a habit of eating more than they should, and then have issues later. He is fine, he was a bit lethargic for a while after eating the danio, but now he is back to his "wander from spot to spot" self. So I know that they get up to about 24" long, and I was told by a few different people from different lfs that he won't have a problem in my tank, it is 48" long x 24" deep x 30" tall. Will this be fine? What tank mates have people had success with? Since he spends most of his time on the bottom, except for when he takes a breath at the surface, would he be compatible with one of the smaller arrowana species?
New MFK Member
- Thread starter chiefacorn
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Welcome! Poly's are awesome pets! What you describe is normal behavior. Lethargy typically follows large meals. He might not want to eat for a few days depending on his personal appetite.
As far as tank mates go, just make sure they won't fit in his mouth. Some people keep them with jardini, but jardini are typically aggressive to other tank mates.
Some interesting options:
Gar (Florida or spotted)
Pikes
Datnoids
Comparably sized cichla
Other Poly's! The more the merrier!
As far as tank mates go, just make sure they won't fit in his mouth. Some people keep them with jardini, but jardini are typically aggressive to other tank mates.
Some interesting options:
Gar (Florida or spotted)
Pikes
Datnoids
Comparably sized cichla
Other Poly's! The more the merrier!
A 150 will be acceptable. I keep my Poly's in a 180. the bigger the footprint, the better. It will be a while before he hits 20"+. At that point in time, you may want to consider something with more floorspace.
So, basically what you are telling me is that I can get another one, get my girl super attached to them, and then eventually use them as justification for a bigger tank?
I have another question: I have a Marineland C360 canister filter, a Bio-Wheel Emperor 400, a powerhead (just as a water mover) and a sponge filter running off of a bubbler. Is this enough filtration for the 150 with the bio-load that the poly will give me? I know that as a carnivore they will be a little messier than most others, but is it a significant enough of an increase that would give me issues with filtration?
I also plan on getting some plants attached to driftwood to place in the tank. I am a big fan of sand substrate, so incredibly easy to clean, but also makes planted tanks very difficult. In my other tanks these have reduced my need for filtration significantly.
I have another question: I have a Marineland C360 canister filter, a Bio-Wheel Emperor 400, a powerhead (just as a water mover) and a sponge filter running off of a bubbler. Is this enough filtration for the 150 with the bio-load that the poly will give me? I know that as a carnivore they will be a little messier than most others, but is it a significant enough of an increase that would give me issues with filtration?
I also plan on getting some plants attached to driftwood to place in the tank. I am a big fan of sand substrate, so incredibly easy to clean, but also makes planted tanks very difficult. In my other tanks these have reduced my need for filtration significantly.
He would be compatible with the arrowanas, but the arowanas won't fit in that tank size. As far as tank mates polyptetus are very easy to find tankmates for. For me there are a few key characteristics I look for. Will it harm the poly? Will the poly harm it? Will it fit in my tank/upgrade plans? If it fits all of those qualifications then it can be considered a tankmate. Seems like very general rules, but polys are compatible with a wide range of fish which is cool because with their body structure and possible tankmates you can have so many possible tankmate combos it's almost unreal.