Rex - My first bichir

[MrsE88]

My husband took me to my favorite fish store for my birthday a couple weeks back. I was so overwhelmed by the variety of fish they had. Each time I go they seem to expand more and more!
This time they had a lot of polys. So many size ranges too. I ended up getting an adorable little Delhezi I named Rex.
He is currently about 4” and in a 65g grow out tank.
(I initially didn’t know they shouldn’t be on gravel so I switched to sand)

He is a great eater and will eat whatever goes in the tank.

Here he is right after I put sand in. It took a couple hours for the water to clear up.


Any tips or things I should know that might not be covered in normal care information?
I see a good number of members feed tilapia. Is this something I should start now while he is little or not till he gets some size to him?
Hes currently getting frozen: bloodworms and brine shrimp. Pellets and tropical flakes. He even picks at the algae wafers I put in for the snail.

How are they with schooling fish? I have four, not yet full grown, giant danios in the tank. Is it possible he can catch them eventually?

 

[tlindsey]

My husband took me to my favorite fish store for my birthday a couple weeks back. I was so overwhelmed by the variety of fish they had. Each time I go they seem to expand more and more!
This time they had a lot of polys. So many size ranges too. I ended up getting an adorable little Delhezi I named Rex.
He is currently about 4” and in a 65g grow out tank.
(I initially didn’t know they shouldn’t be on gravel so I switched to sand)
View attachment 1407952
He is a great eater and will eat whatever goes in the tank.
View attachment 1407953
Here he is right after I put sand in. It took a couple hours for the water to clear up.
View attachment 1407954

Any tips or things I should know that might not be covered in normal care information?
I see a good number of members feed tilapia. Is this something I should start now while he is little or not till he gets some size to him?
Hes currently getting frozen: bloodworms and brine shrimp. Pellets and tropical flakes. He even picks at the algae wafers I put in for the snail.

How are they with schooling fish? I have four, not yet full grown, giant danios in the tank. Is it possible he can catch them eventually?

I'm excited and nice little Delhezi. Yes fine to rotate Tilapia with the other foods. The general rule for Polypterus is if it can't fit in their mouth then most fish are safe. If the fish are at the bottom with lights out it's possible they may be nipped.

 

[fishhead0103666]

That’s the weirdest pellet I’ve seen.

You know about covering any holes right? I almost lost a butt that way.

 

[MrsE88]

I'm excited and nice little Delhezi. Yes fine to rotate Tilapia with the other foods. The general rule for Polypterus is if it can't fit in their mouth then most fish are safe. If the fish are at the bottom with lights out it's possible they may be nipped.

Thanks! I’ll get some on the next store then
Ok, he hangs out in the pothos roots at the top of the tank so I wasn’t sure if this was to hunt the fish or just part of their natural behavior. Not that I’ll be broken up over the loss of a few schoolers... those guys are such breeding machines. Lol

 

[fishhead0103666]

I find that my young senegals would hang out at the top often. I think my delhezi did it too.

 

[MrsE88]

That’s the weirdest pellet I’ve seen.

You know about covering any holes right? I almost lost a butt that way.

I believe that one is a shrimp pellet. I order it by the pound off amazon. It’s a mix of carnivore and veggi pellets.
I have covered as much “gaps” as I can. All intakes have covers too. I’m hoping it’s enough to keep the little guy safe.

 

[tlindsey]

Thanks! I’ll get some on the next store then
Ok, he hangs out in the pothos roots at the top of the tank so I wasn’t sure if this was to hunt the fish or just part of their natural behavior. Not that I’ll be broken up over the loss of a few schoolers... those guys are such breeding machines. Lol

Yes young Polypterus like to mingle in plants and around the surface. Did check for any openings around the lid. Polypterus are great jumpers.

 

[MrsE88]

Yes young Polypterus like to mingle in plants and around the surface. Did check for any openings around the lid. Polypterus are great jumpers.

I did and hope I have them covered well enough. I used egg crate around the pothos plants. Part of me feels a little paranoid he will climb them a squeeze his way through the egg crate?

 

[Rocksor]

You may want to change to glass lids or something under the egg crate. My palmas sustained a nasty cut on its nose that tore away one of it's nostril tubes by jumping and hitting the egg crate. It did this twice over a span of 6 months. The nostril tube never grew back and it's got this weird piece of raise scarring tissue. They do jump high, my former 4" senegal launched itself about 3-4" above the water line when it got spooked as I was siphoning the tank, so lowering the waterline by at least that much may help if you decide to keep using egg crate.

 

[MrsE88]

You may want to change to glass lids or something under the egg crate. My palmas sustained a nasty cut on its nose that tore away one of it's nostril tubes by jumping and hitting the egg crate. It did this twice over a span of 6 months. The nostril tube never grew back and it's got this weird piece of raise scarring tissue. They do jump high, my former 4" senegal launched itself about 3-4" above the water line when it got spooked as I was siphoning the tank, so lowering the waterline by at least that much may help if you decide to keep using egg crate.

Oh dear, poor thing!
I do have glass lids. I used tape to cover most gaps around filters but the one corner I have the pothos roots in the tank I used a small 1”x3” piece of egg crate. Tape wasn’t really working in that particular spot.