Please help with my babies

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GothBabyDoll

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 26, 2008
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Irving, TX
Hey my name is Cait and I just bought two dinosaur eels! :headbang2 I named them Leviathan and Malachi. They are just babies and Im running into problems with them. The biggest problem is that they arent eating. I bought baby shrimp, live ghost shrimp, and krill. I mush up the krill and baby shrimp and let it sink to the bottom. The live shrimp just scurry about in the tank doing whatever they do. But I havent seen Leviathan or Malachi eat! Ive seen Malachi (the bigger one) act like he is getting something out from between the rocks but Ive never actually seen him eat. It looks like he is trying to burry himself. I have a scull decoration that they can both hide in comfortably, so they have a place to get away. I also have a big leafy fake plant because I noticed at the store that they liked to hide in those too. I only have them in a ten gallon tank right now, but when I start college in July, Im buying a 55 gallon. They are only about 3 inches now. I love them so much and want to give them a good life. So here are a few questions I hope you can help me with:

1. How can I get them to eat? Is the reason they arent eating because they are still getting used to their new home? Cause Ive only had them for like a week.

2. Will they survive until July in the tank I have now?

3. How big do they get?

4. How long do they live?

5. I have two other small fish in my tank with them now. Is that ok?

Thank you for letting me become a member. :) I appreciate any advice you guys are able to give me.
 
The real name is Polypterus senegalus, or the senegal bichir. "dinosaur eel" is some name that petsmart came up with because it sounds cool.

1. They may not be eating because they aren't settled in still, or because they don't like what you feed them. How big are they? If they are reasonably large, pellets like sinking carnivore pellets are good. Since they are only 3 inches, smaller pellets such as HBH krill and Omega One shrimp pellets will probably work better. Sinking cichlid pellets are also good.

2. They should be fine in the 10 gallon for a few months

3. They get about 12 inches max

4. Maybe 10 years or so, but I'm not sure.

5. They eat live fish, so if the other tankmates will fit in their mouth, they are at risk of being eaten.


PVC pipe is a good hiding spot for them, but looks bad. If you put it behind something though, it will be out of sight and won't make your tank look like a construction zone.
 
Hi Cait,
1. How can I get them to eat? Is the reason they arent eating because they are still getting used to their new home? Cause Ive only had them for like a week.
A) try frozen bloodworms just defrost and feed its a main part of their diet in the wild
2. Will they survive until July in the tank I have now?
A)They should be fine the other tankmates might not be but hey circle of life stuff
3. How big do they get?
A) yep 10-12 inches
4. How long do they live?
A)They avg 15 years Some reported to live almost twice the avg
5. I have two other small fish in my tank with them now. Is that ok?
A)That could be as issue as polypterids are non agressive predators
In the sticky section theres a primer with tons of info on these amazing fish.
Thanks for joining the more the merrier always feel free to ask any question-Anne
 
Yes :iagree: Be sure and check out the primer. TONS of great info on care, feeding, compatibility with other fish... I mean it has EVERYTHING you need to know about these guys and the other Bichirs. :D.

Currently mine(two Sens and a Delhezi) are all almost 10 inches and are eating:

Pet store bought: Sinking carnivore pellets, Algae tablets, Tetramin variety pellets, omega one shrimps pellets, Hbh Cichlid attack pellets
Frozen: Bloodworms, Beefheart, Ocean one marine, Brine shrimp, Mysis shrimp, Silverside, Krill(Bichirs don't like it too much but the BGK does))
Raw: Shrimp, Hamburger(rarely) Anchovies,
Live: Ghost shrimp, earthworms



When mine were two inches I was feeding them freshly killed and cut up ghost shrimp for a month until they could catch those themselves. also finely cut up beefheart and frozen bloodworms. Man they grew quick!
 
Wow all of you are so helpful! ^_^ Thanks for the advice and good news I got both of them to eat last night. Leviathan ate a dead ghost shrmp out of my hand. At the store where I got them I saw the pet keeper feed them like that so I tried and it worked with Leviathan. But Malachi is a little more shy and so I dropped another dead ghost shrimp right in front of him and sat back and watched him for a few minutes. But then I had to get up and do something else. When I came back, the ghost shrimp was gone and Malachi was in his usual hiding spot. I watched for a minute until he came out. And there it was--a lump in his belly. -lol- They keep going after the other fish in the tank. I dont mind. I would rather the eels eat. But thats a sign that they are still hungry so Im trying to feed them some krill. And another question--Do they grow relatively fast? How long does it take them to reach full length? Again thanks for all the advice.
 
GothBabyDoll;1826332; said:
Thank you for letting me become a member. :) I appreciate any advice you guys are able to give me.
Click to expand...

Thank you for joining! :D



1. Yes, whenever polys are new they will sometimes stop eating for a few days until they settle in. Defrosted bloodworms, finely chopped up seafood, etc.. are good ideas. I feed my 2" albino sens hikari's sinking cichlid gold 'mini' pellets.

2. Will they survive until July in the tank I have now? What size are they? If they're under 5" they should be fine, as long as the tank is cycled.

3. How big do they get? 12"

4. How long do they live? I'm not sure, that is probably in the sticky though.

5. I have two other small fish in my tank with them now. Is that ok? What kind of fish? Bichir will eat fish smaller than them. Mine have surprised me with what they can eat.



In a year they will be around 10" or full grown, depends on the bichirs genes and appetite.
 
P.S.--Thanks for the real name. I kinda figured Dinosaur Eel wasnt their actual name ;)
 
Until get 7-8 inches they are eating machines this is the period of their fastest growth.
Growth rate are all over the place some grow as fast as an inch-inch and a half per month.Some just poke along growing slowly since they are being farmed in the far east
theres no telling how deep the gene pool is.
to maximize growth potential try the following
Keep water as clean as possible
keep temp. in the low 80's
offer several small meals instead of 1 or 2 big meals
maintain a constant photoperiod(lighitng cycle)-Anne
 
The guy at the fish store said to keep the lights off at least 12 hours of the day because of the algae. So I keep it off all night and when I wake up I leave it off for a while. I use AquaSafe that neutralizes chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals. I also use EasyBalance that keeps water biologically balanced, stabilizes pH and alkalinity levels, and reduces nitrates and phosphates. Their tank is always very clean. I make sure to remove any uneaten food that the fish have not consumed in five minutes. Im new to this and am trying to give them a really good life. Thanks again!
 
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