Ornate Bichirs

[Slayer2533]

It looks like I am fast becoming a Poly addict! I recently purchased a male and female Senegal Bichir here in Australia and now have decided to pick up two Ornate Bichir's as well. I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice when it comes to Ornate bichir behavior, tank requirements, suitable tank mates etc. I currently keep my two Senegal's with a bunch of smaller 3-6 inch American Cichlids without issue. The Cichlids just ignore them. Will semi aggressive to aggressive American Cichlids be a problem for Ornates? Are Ornates anywhere as active as my Senegal's who are around 6-7 inches and constantly swimming around. Currently the dominant fish is the fish in my avatar which is some kind of flowerhorn cross (7 inches) but is chilled as and I always see it rubbing on the Senegals or them rubbing on him swimming around together playfully. They seem to be best buddies. I do have a couple other smaller tanks if I have aggression issues. My main tank is between 5 and 6 ft and is double standard height around 600 litres. I have one fluval fx6 and one Aquaone Nautilus 2700 for filtration. Any thoughts and advice is appreciated.

 

[kno4te]

Should be ok as ur cichlids seem to ignore the polys. The flowehron may need to be watched with any new fish. The ornates will try to dominate the other polys and a pecking order will get resetablished among the polys.

The 609liter should be ok for a while. Ornates can get big but it'll take a while.

Should eat the same foods as ur senegalus.

 

[Slayer2533]

Should be ok as ur cichlids seem to ignore the polys. The flowehron may need to be watched with any new fish. The ornates will try to dominate the other polys and a pecking order will get resetablished among the polys.

The 609liter should be ok for a while. Ornates can get big but it'll take a while.

Should eat the same foods as ur senegalus.

Thanks for the reply. The flowerhorn is a cross and quite possibly female so it is the most chilled fish in the tank although it is the biggest. All the other small american cichlids are being grown out together and tolerant of other fish at this stage. I have just realized the two Ornate's I am hopefully picking up later today are only 10 cm or so which means I may put them in another one of my tanks till they gain a couple inches. Are Ornates faster growing than Senegals? What is the average growth rate? Have you ever heard of Ornate's going after Cichlids? Any other advice for a new Ornate owner?

 

[thefredpit]

ornates at that size(as any poly that size) are very fast growers'

 

[Slayer2533]

ornates at that size(as any poly that size) are very fast growers'

Yeah I have read that through the forums. Just wondering if any poly species are faster growing than others and what kind of growth rate I can expect with high quality food and two 85-90 percent water changes per week. Also thinking maybe I should put the Ornates in a smaller tank for a bit until they do gain a few inches as I don't really want to risk their demise as I love them and they are not easily replaceable here or readily available. the cost is $500 - $600 dollars each here. Senegals are about $400 to $500 and ALOT more common.

 

[kno4te]

Never hurts to move them. Will grow fast as T thefredpit mentioned. Especially compare to senegalus. Will get about 1in per month then slow down after 12inches. Can get a 18inch fish in 1.5-2y. There will be variation. Cb ornates can get up to 25in but that's a old fish.

I think Hao had some crazy growth with his congicus. I forget the exact measurements.

 

[Slayer2533]

Awesome thanks for the info. I do want to grow out a couple monsters . Sounds like the same kind of growth rate as an Oscar or Flowerhorn. That is good news can't wait to get my Ornates after work and start raising them up. I am a massive fan of exotic and oddball fish and to me nothing beats the thought of growing out a dinosaur monster fish . I forgot to mention I also keep a 12 inch Ghost knife in the large tank. He is awesome and chilled as. Also a great tank mate for Bichirs from what I have read.

 

[kno4te]

Nice bgk. Don't see them too big anymore. Maybe I'm not looking enough lol.

 

[Slayer2533]

Nice bgk. Don't see them too big anymore. Maybe I'm not looking enough lol.

True they are pretty slow growers. I have had him for a few years now since he was tiny. Had a scare the other day when I did a 90 percent water change in the big tank and it turned out to be one of the coldest nights ever in winter and when I filled the tank back up he was lying upside down and not moving thought he was a goner for sure. Scooped him out and he didn't move at all. Held him in my hand couldn't see any sighs of life then I quickly put him in a warm small tank and slowly but surely he started breathing again and recovered. He came back from the dead within a couple hours! I will never make that mistake again. Watch out for extreme temp drops during massive water changes!!! Some fish are alot more sensitive than others. He has been through alot but he is a survivor

 

[jaws7777]

Ornates are great but reports are mixed some say very shy and aggressive. Mine is very ourgoing and active but also aggressive towards smaller polys.

As fae as the cichlids its a dice role. Ine thing with cichlids there temperment can change quuckly. Keep a close eye