Polypterus ornatipinnis

[andy1985]

Hi i have three Ornatipinnis, one senagalus and a delhezi which live fine with my African Cichlids and catfish but recentaly i had a bit of a disaster and lost quite a few fish the problem iam having is replacing them because i know the the polys will eat the small fish, i do have a 4 foot tank and was thinking of putting them in there while i restock me fish.
would that be a viable option or would i just av to buy big fish?

 

[pmtuneman13]

4 feet could be a lot of different tank sizes. What is the footprint? How large are your bichirs? Need a little more info before anyone can tell you if it will be ok to move them. Why don't you just leave them there and grow out your new fish in the other tank? That makes much more sense to me.

 

[andy1985]

Think the foot print is either 4x1.5 or 4x2, the Ornatipinnis are the largest ones at say maybe a foot long. the other two are maybe 20 cm.
it would only be temp for say half a year, but the Cichlids would grow quicker in the larger tank, because they dont seem to be growing that quickly in the 4 foot tank.
but i forgote to mention i have a graffe catfish as well but i wouldnt thort it would take huge notice of th cichilds becuase i av one in there which is just big enough to not be eaten by the polys.

 

[pmtuneman13]

Get a better filter for the smaller tank. Africans do well and grow quickly even in 55 gallon tanks if the water is kept clean. Overfiltration is never a bad thing. Your bichirs should not be downsized as this can stress fish out. Respect your old fish...

Give your cichlids night crawlers to get them growing quickly. This will fatten up your little guys very quick. NLS (new life spectrum) is a great food if you can find it. Food is key to growing quickly. Feed a variety and your fish will be happy and grow fast.