Officially a Bichir keeper now

[DMD123]

sevs and sajicas for me , watch out for overeating especially on the part of captive bred polys. Seems like they are the worst at getting that 'beer gut' from eating too much. This really is noticeable when they start eating tilapia or high calorie foods like Hikari Massivore and Sinking Carnivore. But that said these items are also great to put weight on a skinny poly.

 

[sevs and sajicas for me]

Thank you for the heads up DMD123 . I’ve noticed the Senegal does eat quite a bit when I feed. The delhezi Seems to eat just a couple of pellets and then goes back to her spot. I’m not sure how big they should be before I can sex them but both of their anal fans seem quite small so I am suspecting both are female

 

[DMD123]

Thank you for the heads up DMD123 . I’ve noticed the Senegal does eat quite a bit when I feed. The delhezi Seems to eat just a couple of pellets and then goes back to her spot. I’m not sure how big they should be before I can sex them but both of their anal fans seem quite small so I am suspecting both are female

There are some interesting things that have been discussed around here as to the high percentage of female polys to male. Out of my six polys I only have two males. Would not be surprised when you get all your polys that the majority will be female.

 

[sevs and sajicas for me]

That's interesting. Is there a specific thread? I'd be interested to read. Any prevailing reason or thought of why that is?

 

[DMD123]

That's interesting. Is there a specific thread? I'd be interested to read. Any prevailing reason or thought of why that is?

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/how-many-male-poly-do-you-have.688080/

 

[magpie]

I found that it was hard to reliably sex the UJs below 6" or so.

 

[clm08k]

With those cichlids I'd go to max 4/5 polys. They do get pretty big and thick eventually. I wouldn't push it

+1 .


I vote for 3-4 polys especially if you have cichlids. Right now I have a 55g with 5 polys and I have to change 75% of the water every 5 days. It also depends on how much maintenance you want to do....I have 3 danios and 3 congo tetras other than the polys, but I consider my maintenance to be pretty intensive despite my tank not looking over stocked. Keep in mind I'm a fan of over filtering and under stocking. My nitrates might be high because of the dying plants though,.....

75g is great for most upper jaws. My vote is for 4 if you have a lot of cichlids. Some delhezi can get pretty big, so you might have to move it to a bigger tank after a few years.

 

[Hendre]

I found that it was hard to reliably sex the UJs below 6" or so.

Same! Thought Toothless (WC) was a female till he hit 6" and suddenly a huge anal fin with an attitude appeared. Weird huh

 

[Polyaddict86]

That's interesting. Is there a specific thread? I'd be interested to read. Any prevailing reason or thought of why that is?

They say that males are harder to catch cause they go to the deeper part of the river or lake, they only come up when mating season but they dont have a real study to it, im not sure about captive breed.

 

[clm08k]

Ha thanks! I can already see the addiction. My del is being fairly shy but the senegal is out and about constantly. I'm hoping to add 1 or 2 more to this tank. Just got to keep waiting for them to become available. Any advice on feeding them? Right now they are readily eating omega one shrimp pellets and nls thera a formula mini pellets. Is this sufficient?

That's great that they are eating. Always a good sign. J jaws7777 's polys go crazy for the thera A. For pellets, I like the Hikari Carnivore and NLS. Hikari Carnivore is the smaller version of Massivore. Let's let other members chime in and see what they prefer.


A lot of members on here feed a mixture of fish and pellets. Would suggest adding small bite sized pieces of tilapia, then you can alternate between that and pellets. Or however you choose. Variety is the spice of life? I also feed my polys catfish once a week, the day before a water change. Catfish is more oily than tilapia, so it can cloud the water. It's a great preventative for bloat though.