I've been bitten by the Birchir-bug, and if my boyfrined lets me have another tank (I have 5 already and he's a bit nervous about all that water on the second floor directly above his enertainment system)I'm thinking of getting a 40 gal. breeder (36"x18"x16") and I'd love to keep some of the smaller polypterus like delhezi or senegalus. Can I keep more than one birchir in a tank this size? What about tankmates? I've read Ctenopoma make good tankmates, but I don't want to keep something that will get eaten. I'd also really like to keep a small spiney eel like a peacock or zebra eel, and an African butterfly fish up top. Would all of that fit in a 40 breeder?
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i kept two ornatapinis in a 75 gal, with a large synodontis and a striped raphael cat. even the "small" polys get prety big. they will eat anything that fits into their mouth. they even ate a 4" pleco. you could probably start with 2 in a 40, but they will eventually outgrow it.
5 tanks on the 2nd floor
even i'd worry about that kind of weight.
I'd still go for it, though these guys may disagree.
5 tanks on the 2nd floor
even i'd worry about that kind of weight. I'd still go for it, though these guys may disagree.
hoss62773 said:5 tanks on the 2nd floor
None of them are very big (5, 7, 10, 30, and 65 gallons), and they are all well supported. My 65 gal. is actually in the fireplace (kindof ironic), so it has a story of stone underneath it. The 40 gal (or whatever my next tanks ends up being) is going to be the first tank not supported by a built-in load-bearing structure in the house, so I'm not all that concerned. Even so, I plan of getting a good stand for it and putting it across the support beams. Some people here have 200 gallon tanks on their second floors... I'm not terribly concerned.
I think 3 to 4 adult senegalus or delhezi alone would do just fine in a 40 gallon breeder, as long as there is plenty of filtration and it's kept well covered. The 40 breeder has great dimensions--big footprint and lots of surface area for a smaller tank! 
I dunno about the suggested tankmates though, especially if they're small enough to get eaten by the bichirs.
I dunno about the suggested tankmates though, especially if they're small enough to get eaten by the bichirs.
I'd stick to the bichirs only and try to breed them. not sure it would be possible in a 40 gallon but you never know. 
icthyophile said:
Really? As many as 4 of them? I plan to use a cannister filter designed for 80-100 gallons, and I'll probably add a powerhead for water movement.
I'm also not so sure about the tanksmates, as I've seen pictures of senegal birchirs with plecos sticking out of their mouths, and a 6" butterfly fish probably wouldn't pose a great culinary challenge for a full grown birchir, but on the other hand, I've read that butterfly fish and ctenopomas make great companions for them... Niether species is terribly expensive at the LFS near me, so I may try it out and see how it goes.
Elongated fish like bichirs have far less biomass than more robust species. Plus, they are extremely undemanding as long as access to surface air is allowed. In comparison, you certainly wouldn't be able to fit four 12 inch oscars into that 40 gallon, probably only one. As mentioned earlier, the 40 gallon breeder is a great size, much better than a comparably skinny and tall 13-inch wide 55 gallon, IMO.
For filtration of predatory fish aquaria using HOB (hang-on-back) power filters or canisters, I use an hourly turnover of 10 to 1 as a benchmark. In other words, for a 40 gallon tank, shoot for 400 gph of filtration. Actually, a single RENA Filstar XP3 canister, at 350 gph, would probably be sufficient for your 40 gallon, since you can pack more biomedia into a canister than you can in a typical power filter such as the 400 gph Emperor 400 or the 428 gph AquaClear 110.
Of course, the 10 to 1 ratio doesn't apply to wet/dry filters, which are much more efficient. 5 to 1 is enough for a wet/dry, IMO.
For filtration of predatory fish aquaria using HOB (hang-on-back) power filters or canisters, I use an hourly turnover of 10 to 1 as a benchmark. In other words, for a 40 gallon tank, shoot for 400 gph of filtration. Actually, a single RENA Filstar XP3 canister, at 350 gph, would probably be sufficient for your 40 gallon, since you can pack more biomedia into a canister than you can in a typical power filter such as the 400 gph Emperor 400 or the 428 gph AquaClear 110.
Of course, the 10 to 1 ratio doesn't apply to wet/dry filters, which are much more efficient. 5 to 1 is enough for a wet/dry, IMO.
Hers my .05 cents excited yet huh huh huh?If it was mine to mess with I'd do a cpl of senegals or delhezis and kept them as centerpiece fish.Then add schooling fish for movement.-Anne
As for tankmates it really depends on how agressive the bichirs are.Some bichirs are fairly laid back some are agressive this isn't species specific but an individual thing generaly speaking anything over 3'' in lenght and fairly deep bodied should be fine.Also bichir are fairly non agressive predators and should be kept with other non agressive fish-Anne
As for tankmates it really depends on how agressive the bichirs are.Some bichirs are fairly laid back some are agressive this isn't species specific but an individual thing generaly speaking anything over 3'' in lenght and fairly deep bodied should be fine.Also bichir are fairly non agressive predators and should be kept with other non agressive fish-Anne
Anne, how come you get five cents and I only get two?beblondie said:
Oh wait, you said ".05 cents" so that's only one twentieth of a cent! 
BTW, I agree w/ Anne. If you're planning on keeping tankmates, it would be best to reduce the bichir population to accommodate the added biomass. My stocking recommendation was for bichirs alone. Think of the fun you'll have picking tankmates!
definitly not a good size for 4 ornate's because they get over 20" long, better to try senegales max 12", ansorgei or "guinea" max 11", delhezi max 14" for color or patterns, palmas buettikoferi max: 14", marbled or shortfin aka palmas palmas max 12", palmas polli max 13", retropinnis or speckled bichir max 14", and if you could find one a teugelsi max 16" and this one has black markings on the upper surface of the body with black pectoral fins and a orange ventral surface. even though I cant find a pic of this one yet it sounds like it looks great and definitly want one, even toyin hasn't been able to get one yet. 
every other type of bichir gets 20"+ and most lower jaw bichirs go over 30".
just thought this would help, got bit by the bug and pulled all this info of the net and made my own notebook for them. My brother calls me crazy but i just love AFRICAN PREHISTORIC FISH
every other type of bichir gets 20"+ and most lower jaw bichirs go over 30".
just thought this would help, got bit by the bug and pulled all this info of the net and made my own notebook for them. My brother calls me crazy but i just love AFRICAN PREHISTORIC FISH