some bichir questions
- Thread starter LaPrice
- Start date
Then youre in luck because they will fit that size tank perfectly. as far as tankmates go they are not aggressive. they won't pester other fish. but they will eat anything they can. I had a single molly in with my bichirs and the molly was biting their fins so I got rid of the molly.
They mix well with cichlids. just avoid any over the top aggressive species. Oscars mix incredibly well with Bichirs, I've had luck with it a few times. just make sure you know your Oscars personality. cause some of them are very territorial and mean, most are very peaceful though.
They mix well with cichlids. just avoid any over the top aggressive species. Oscars mix incredibly well with Bichirs, I've had luck with it a few times. just make sure you know your Oscars personality. cause some of them are very territorial and mean, most are very peaceful though.
Then youre in luck because they will fit that size tank perfectly. as far as tankmates go they are not aggressive. they won't pester other fish. but they will eat anything they can.
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Sweet thanks, i do like some Chiclid species. Not a huge fan of Oscars, but ill consider it. Would 3+ inch Gouramis work well? Like say a blue or a gold? They supposedly get 6 ins.
They should be fine. I've see a shoal of 6" gourami's used as dithers for Jaguar cichlid. only issue is that they grow relatively slowly. You could try kissing gourami's they are more robust. I am thinking of getting a few for my tank. If all else fails you could try snakeskin gourami. I kept a group of 8 in with cichlids and they were great. When I got rid of them, I sold them to the guy with the jaguar and they blended into his gourami group.
Snakeskins do get 7-8" though.
Cichlids that you can keep with bichirs depends entirely on their personality. any vieja species are out. they are constant bulliers and will pick at the fins of slow moving fish. Any amphilophus or parachromis are also out. Let me think of a small list of species that I would put in with polys...
Severum - looks good and will not bother tankmates
Oscar - looks good and will not bother tankmates (because they are such pigs you can feed the bichirs and oscars on seperate ends of the tank)
Pearsei cichlid - large and mostly peaceful species. with some dithers they will totally ignore the bichirs.
Chocolate cichlid - same personality as a severum but grows larger
Frontosa - peaceful fish. problem is they are expensive. I can only find zaire blues that are all deformed and cost equivelent of 60 dollars.
Nicaraguensis cichlid - peaceful but territorial. the bichirs will learn to avoid his "cave" and all will be fine
Geophagus species - possible to work, they will most likley steal the food from the bichirs as they will be feeding in the same area.
I've kept bichirs with african and american cichlids of all types, your only problem is that they will outcompete the bichir for food and stress him out. If you want them to grow quickly and be healthy then you want to keep them with non aggressive tankmates that won't interfere with their feeding. this is why they mix well with datnoids and other predators.
Senegals are the quickest to find food. when it hits the water they are straight on it. BUT compared to a cichlid, they are still slow. thats why you want to make sure you pick something that will allow the bichirs to eat right.
Ornates and Delhezi are slower to find food but will still find it okay providing you aren't keeping them with loaches or other bottom dwelling catfish that will snap up the food right away.
If your bichirs aren't feeding because of outcompetition, then I suggest you drop sinking carnivore or shrimp pellets into the tank when the lights been off for a while and the fish are asleep, the bichirs nocturnal instinct will kick in and they will get the food no problem.
I would also like to add, if you do keep some cichlids then keep the numbers low. anyone who has had a cichlid tank in the past can tell you that if you drop food in it will NEVER reach the bottom. I made the stupid mistake once of temporarily putting a bichir in with a large mayan cichlid, within 10 minutes the bichir was dead.
Also avoid pike cichlids at all cost. they HATE anything slightly shaped like them. they will destructively pick on anything that slightly resembles them. you might get off lucky with a peaceful species or a good tempered individual but all in all I would avoid them entirely.
Snakeskins do get 7-8" though.
Cichlids that you can keep with bichirs depends entirely on their personality. any vieja species are out. they are constant bulliers and will pick at the fins of slow moving fish. Any amphilophus or parachromis are also out. Let me think of a small list of species that I would put in with polys...
Severum - looks good and will not bother tankmates
Oscar - looks good and will not bother tankmates (because they are such pigs you can feed the bichirs and oscars on seperate ends of the tank)
Pearsei cichlid - large and mostly peaceful species. with some dithers they will totally ignore the bichirs.
Chocolate cichlid - same personality as a severum but grows larger
Frontosa - peaceful fish. problem is they are expensive. I can only find zaire blues that are all deformed and cost equivelent of 60 dollars.
Nicaraguensis cichlid - peaceful but territorial. the bichirs will learn to avoid his "cave" and all will be fine
Geophagus species - possible to work, they will most likley steal the food from the bichirs as they will be feeding in the same area.
I've kept bichirs with african and american cichlids of all types, your only problem is that they will outcompete the bichir for food and stress him out. If you want them to grow quickly and be healthy then you want to keep them with non aggressive tankmates that won't interfere with their feeding. this is why they mix well with datnoids and other predators.
Senegals are the quickest to find food. when it hits the water they are straight on it. BUT compared to a cichlid, they are still slow. thats why you want to make sure you pick something that will allow the bichirs to eat right.
Ornates and Delhezi are slower to find food but will still find it okay providing you aren't keeping them with loaches or other bottom dwelling catfish that will snap up the food right away.
If your bichirs aren't feeding because of outcompetition, then I suggest you drop sinking carnivore or shrimp pellets into the tank when the lights been off for a while and the fish are asleep, the bichirs nocturnal instinct will kick in and they will get the food no problem.
I would also like to add, if you do keep some cichlids then keep the numbers low. anyone who has had a cichlid tank in the past can tell you that if you drop food in it will NEVER reach the bottom. I made the stupid mistake once of temporarily putting a bichir in with a large mayan cichlid, within 10 minutes the bichir was dead.
Also avoid pike cichlids at all cost. they HATE anything slightly shaped like them. they will destructively pick on anything that slightly resembles them. you might get off lucky with a peaceful species or a good tempered individual but all in all I would avoid them entirely.
Ok, good to know 
thanks
Theres a Fintastic near me, a little over priced but their stock has bigger specimens than the petsmart i work at. We take pretty good care of our stuff though, the other petsmart with a better fish selection however doesnt :/
Definitely some choices to make then for the long run
thanksTheres a Fintastic near me, a little over priced but their stock has bigger specimens than the petsmart i work at. We take pretty good care of our stuff though, the other petsmart with a better fish selection however doesnt :/
Definitely some choices to make then for the long run
You never can really tell though because all fish exhibit different characteristics.
for instance my Oscar and Flagtail are both around 4" and they are inseperable. they never leave each others side. they even don't mind each other brushing up against each other. they even eat together. it's cute but this situation can change from fish to fish. flagtails are known to be peaceful but some oscars would never tolerate the flagtail to be so near to them all the time. I used to have a breeding pair that would kill anything that was in their tank.
for instance my Oscar and Flagtail are both around 4" and they are inseperable. they never leave each others side. they even don't mind each other brushing up against each other. they even eat together. it's cute but this situation can change from fish to fish. flagtails are known to be peaceful but some oscars would never tolerate the flagtail to be so near to them all the time. I used to have a breeding pair that would kill anything that was in their tank.
Hmm good to remember, i remember bichir at least the senegal had some personality. Never thought it could be just that fish in general dont always fit their species generic personality XD
Yeah so don't be discouraged by a fishes reputation after all it is your tank, keep whatever you want. But if you want the bichirs to grow well and be healthy, and if you want them to be one of your main fishes, then make sure you don't go with anything that will out compete them for food. If you do add those kinds of fish I suggest you add it later on when the bichirs have a bit of size and are able to fend themselves.
Ill keep that in mind for sure. Like i said i wont have any fish for a while so im just gathering info on them and tank setup as well as possible tank mates.
