Without hiding places, small bichirs would tend to freak out. And when they do, their survival instincts take over and they would bust into panic mode and swim at full speed. And *BANG*, it knocks into the aquarium walls.
Seriously cases could cause broken backs and shorten their lifespan.
Without hiding places, small bichirs would tend to freak out. And when they do, their survival instincts take over and they would bust into panic mode and swim at full speed. And *BANG*, it knocks into the aquarium walls.
Seriously cases could cause broken backs and shorten their lifespan.
naaah that wont happen! you making things too dramatic, bichirs are the hardiest fish among other, what matter the most is how you keep them, and how you setup the tank, which include choosing the right tankmates.
I always keep mine in bare bottom tank, and I paint the tank black.
Small bichirs are best kept in a grow out tank. That way they can find food easily. I keep mine since young, and I've never noticed any bichirs doing so, like you said! As I mentioned, its just a matter of preferences, anyone can choose to do so, its their fish, not mine.
Now the 2 with broken backs are dead and the one without is doing well in my tank. And I agree with Mrwinkle about the size of polys being a factor. Large bichirs would feel more secure because of their sheer size. Smaller bichirs would tend to freak out. And also chances of larger bichirs developing a broken back should it swim into a wall is less likely as their muscles have developed. Not in the case for juvenile bichirs. And they are all in a 70g tank alone at that point of time. If I could do it all over again, I would have placed them in my 20g as a growout first so that they won't gain enough momentum during a panic attack to damage themselves.
there are many things which cause them to jump, either water parameter, tankmates or even people passing by the tank, etc. Your pics are showing them being broken back, yet there are hiding places shown in the pic?? So I supposed taking out hiding place is not the caused of it then?? this could go on and on and on,... but at the end its the owner choice what to do with their fish, as long as the fish are healthy then nothing is really that matter, thats all from me.
I added the lava rocks and plants after they broke their backs so that the last one doesn't get it as well. Sorry for not stating this in the beginning. Water parameters are fine, Zero ammonia, nitrite and I never let nitrate go above 10 ppm (usually 20 but those are juveniles).
And I agree with you, it is really up to the OP to decide what he does with his fishes. But we can help by advising him on what is best to do in our own opinion, collectively or individually. I never stated that your way of doing thing is absolutely wrong. You are able to keep yours in barebottom tanks with no decoration, that is fine. Just pointing out what happened to mine based on my own experiences.
At the end of the day, what we want to achieve are the same, helping the OP with his bichir problems
I added the lava rocks and plants after they broke their backs so that the last one doesn't get it too. Sorry for not stating this in the beginning. Water parameters are fine, Zero ammonia, nitrite and I never let nitrate go above 10 ppm (usually 20 but those are juveniles). The tank was located in my room and I'm the only person with access to it.
PS, no idea about why the sarcasm was required but my original intention was to prove that it is possible for them to hurt themselves since you said it wasn't gonna happen.
and you were the one pointing it out by quoting what I said above, you made your point, I can read it well, what I said is nothing more than it is possible to keep bichirs the way I do, end of..
My advice would be to leave the hiding places where they are. Try feeding them once every three to four days... not every day. Keep the lights over your tank off but have some low light on in the room. And for God's sake, unless you truly quarantine and/or disinfect live feeders... don't use them. I lost a 30" silver aro to some bacteria carrying feeders. It would really suck to loose your polys that way. Be patient, in my experience it can take several months before your polys really acclimate to their tank and begin to feed regularly.
