Sealing open space???

[Mercury2234]

Hey guys,

I just recently got a senagal bichir from PetsMart and have him in my tank by himself, however after doing some research I understand they are escape artists.

My question is, how do you guys seal your tank? Unfortunately I have a wooden top, so there is alot of airspace for him to escape...I did what I can do by sealing the space with duct tape, but it will be only temporary...

Any ideas? I went to Lowe's and tried to get a screen for it, but it wont work.

FYI: So far, he havent tried to escape, but I am just taking precaution...he still spends most of the time floating on the top waters underneath the filter....havent touch the feeders or ghost shrimps.

 

[golcondorus]

are you sure he is alright, floating is a very wierd behavior for Bichirs, mine have only ever done this when something was wrong. i dont want to freak you out or anything, you might want to see if you can get him to move, see if he looks like he is swimming ok, able to go up and down with no problem at all. and as for sealing the tank, its not terriblly pretty but i just cut pieces of a tarp and made little flaps for wherever i have filter intakes or whatever going in and out of the tank, just use duct tape, been doing this for a while now and havnt had another escape problem

 

[Mercury2234]

I mean, he floats only when he is resting...he swims around the tank for a while, but only in the upper water...I assumed it was ok since there is a thread about it saying it was normal as a defense mechanism when they are getting acclimated into a new tank.

I tried to feeding him some frozen brine shrimps...he didnt even budge...the feeders just went after it. In fact, the feeders keep swimming around his face, and nothing!

 

[golcondorus]

alright, hes probablly fine, make sure he has a couple hiding places and he'll probablly come down to the bottom, my senegal never eats feeders, i know people who feed them feeders though, so, he might just like somethign else, ive had great luck with market shrimp or krill, all my bichirs love that, but yeah, my senegal just acts annoyd when i put feeders in there, so i dont do it anymore, anyway, good liuck, Bichirs are awsome

 

[Darth Scohin]

Be sure there is at least 2"-3" between the lid and water line, without that Bichirs cannot get enough O2 and will aspixiate(sp)/Drown. And therefore ensure your covering spaces on top are not in-turn sealing the tank to be airtight.....

Also, get them off feeders, they really are not good for fish besides diesease Goldfish have amonts of Thiaminase which breaks down Thiamin (Vitamin B#). Just Feed Massivore, Krill and Bloodworms it is cheaper in the end

 

[golcondorus]

oh man, good points darth scohin, i feel stupid now, i forgot to mention that, yes they will drown if not able to get a breath, also about the feeders, the only reason my fish ever get feeders is cause i kinda breed my own, i have a tank full of platies i give my monsters sometimes, but yeah , randomly buying feeders is bad, especially goldfish

 

[Mercury2234]

They are not regular feeders...they are Zebra Danios; I read up alot on goldfish disease and plus they create alot of waste...they are a bit more expensive, but its ok. I will create a tank for convicts...any idea for size?

 

[Chris006]

How large is your tank? and how big is your poly? Try and keep the water level several inches lower than the brim. It won't have as mush momentum lunching itself that way.

 

[Thalan]

One way to seal up holes is with egg crate lighting covers. You can get em at Lowes or HD for about $10 and they have a nice little 1" square pattern on them so measuring and cutting is easy.

 

[wolfsburgfanatic]

hobby shop will carry sheets of plastic. I just cut it to fit the gap and voila...

You said you got your senegal from petsmart, so I assume its a juvenile? Like under 3 inches? If so, it is completely normal for small bichirs to float at the surface. All 3 of my polys did it when I got them and many people on this forum have had the same experience. They eventually grow out of it and there's no need to worry.

Enjoy the bichir