say hello to Mr. Smiley.

[kittyhazelton]

Well, I'm in the process of converting my 110gal into a predator tank, and the first new addition is a senegal bichir.
Say hello to mr smiley. I picked him up today. He had been at the store for a few months now and I had my eye on him since they got em in.

Now, I'm wondering about tankmates. I definitely want there to be alot of action, and big gnarley freaky looking fish is what I like best. So anyone have any suggestions?

 

[ethnics]

thats not a senegal. if u bought it as one CONGRATS. i think its a lapradei? im sure someone else can ID him for ya. he looks great tho.

add maybe an aro? they always add a good ancient prehistoric look to tanks, especially with bichirs.

 

[Hapdude]

What you have is not a "senagalus" but a "lapradei". Nice pickup, especially if you got it at a good price!

 

[kittyhazelton]

thats not a senegal. if u bought it as one CONGRATS. i think its a lapradei? im sure someone else can ID him for ya. he looks great tho.

add maybe an aro? they always add a good ancient prehistoric look to tanks, especially with bichirs.

Paid $22 for him at 11" long.
And I thought aro's got really big? 110gal tank is 4'X18"X30"h.
Either way, he's awesome. I think I want something shiney and silvery in the tank that will hang out towards the top of the tank.

 

[Razman]

uh..... hi mr.smily. but thats not a senagal, i think thats a lapredai. senagals are a patternless upper jaw species that grow to be 12". lapredais have those lines that are on it, are lower jaw and grow to be 30". before you think you picked up the wrong bichir note that you can get senagals t alot of places and lapredais are really rare(i think). my lfs had 2 of them a few weeks back and they are great bichirs. so thats a great pickup. as for tankmates, as with all bichirs, anything that doesnt fit in its mouth. good luck with mr. smily.

 

[ethnics]

u want something shiney and silvery that stays at the top, sounds like a silver arowana lol. they do get big, and do require a lot of swimming space. i think ur tank is to small. it could house one for maybe a year but those dimensions sux0r lol. if u plan to upgrade in the future, i say grab a silver. if not maybe grab some tinfoil barbs that are big enough to not get eaten. silvery and mine usually stay near the top. more bichirs maybe?

 

[Razman]

and yes a silver arrowanna would need a bigger tank

 

[beblondie]

What you have is not a Polypterus senagalus but a Polypterus lapradei.They get 18-24 inches when fully grown.-Anne

 

[ocellatus]

I concur, definitely P. Lapradei. Nice pickup, that fish would be significantly more $$ if properly identified.

Nice colouration too Love the green. What tank mates will he have?

I was in my LFS 2 weeks back looking into a tank marked "Palmas bichir", ( unreasonably hoping of course to find one of the Palmas complex inside) and a very unhappy, faded P. Lapradei was staring back. They wanted $75 CDN at 12" and if I had the tank space I would have taken him. I didn't as I was worried he would munch my 10" senegals and I'm saving room for a Del.

They re-labeled the tank and he sold the next day.......

O

 

[USMC Sniper]

Now, I'm wondering about tankmates. I definitely want there to be alot of action, and big gnarley freaky looking fish is what I like best. So anyone have any suggestions?

Don't forget the Clown Knife, that fits your description perfectly!