Tankmates for Bichir
- Thread starter Cichlidsforlife
- Start date
Severum could work.
Oscar is too big for a 75 anyway...
Heterospilus cichlid could work. They’re smaller, really beautiful, and are more herbivores so you wouldn’t have to worry about them eating all of the poly food.
You could also do a Ctenopoma Acutirostre or maybe 2? Not sure. Would have to ask others on that.
Butterfly fish (could do 3) would work for the top, but they really appreciate floating plants.
Oscar is too big for a 75 anyway...
Heterospilus cichlid could work. They’re smaller, really beautiful, and are more herbivores so you wouldn’t have to worry about them eating all of the poly food.
You could also do a Ctenopoma Acutirostre or maybe 2? Not sure. Would have to ask others on that.
Butterfly fish (could do 3) would work for the top, but they really appreciate floating plants.
Very interesting, of course I only recognize what a severum is and I would appreciate if you could give the common names of the other cichlids listed. Thanks so much this is very helpful, what are some bichirs that I could keep?
I like the Vieja species in general but my LFS doesn’t have any heterospilus and I can’t find any online, are there any cichlids that would eat the same stuff as the bichir? The only vieja I can get is hartwegi
Reminds me of myself when I was 14.
Get the tank, set it up and get everything running. Have a good long think about what you want in the tank. Wet pet? Nice display? Etc then come back here.
I'd really really recommend a low biolad tank. A 10" cichlid and a single poly may just make it, but it has to be something you can easily maintain because as a young person there are constantly plan changes, outings, school, exams and other events that can put off a water change which could be okay or bad depending on how you put your tank up.
Next thing is availability and cost! Many people here have the fancy or obscure fish, but unless you really have a lot of money to ship fancy stuff you've gotta find what's local. I wanted all these nice fish people have, then found some hidden gems I didn't even consider when I visited a shop.
So in the end it comes down to:
-What you really like
-What can be maintained
-What's easily available to you
Hope this helps! Fellow teen out
Also, two years progress! Take your time and choose something you like and your tank will be awesome in the end!
Get the tank, set it up and get everything running. Have a good long think about what you want in the tank. Wet pet? Nice display? Etc then come back here.
I'd really really recommend a low biolad tank. A 10" cichlid and a single poly may just make it, but it has to be something you can easily maintain because as a young person there are constantly plan changes, outings, school, exams and other events that can put off a water change which could be okay or bad depending on how you put your tank up.
Next thing is availability and cost! Many people here have the fancy or obscure fish, but unless you really have a lot of money to ship fancy stuff you've gotta find what's local. I wanted all these nice fish people have, then found some hidden gems I didn't even consider when I visited a shop.
So in the end it comes down to:
-What you really like
-What can be maintained
-What's easily available to you
Hope this helps! Fellow teen out
Also, two years progress! Take your time and choose something you like and your tank will be awesome in the end!
I don't know about hartwegis. Add another question in one of your other threads in the cichlid forum about that. (No need to start a new thread. 
) Then everyone in the thread will be notified there's a new post and hopefully answer your question.
Other options would be Festivums or Rainbow Cichlids (Herotilapia Multispinosa)
Actually, the scientific names are best for research and google and asking questions because common names can get confusing. The Ctenopoma is a perfect example of that - some call it a leaf fish, but there are several species that people call leaf fish.
If you google it, you'll see it's not a cichlid. It's a predatory fish from Africa. But they don't tend to beat up on fish they can't eat. With some exceptions of course.
There are more active bichirs, and I think Senegals and Pollis tend to be the most consistently so. They will often beg for food and tend to swim around more than some of the other species.
) Then everyone in the thread will be notified there's a new post and hopefully answer your question. Other options would be Festivums or Rainbow Cichlids (Herotilapia Multispinosa)
Actually, the scientific names are best for research and google and asking questions because common names can get confusing. The Ctenopoma is a perfect example of that - some call it a leaf fish, but there are several species that people call leaf fish.
If you google it, you'll see it's not a cichlid. It's a predatory fish from Africa. But they don't tend to beat up on fish they can't eat. With some exceptions of course.
There are more active bichirs, and I think Senegals and Pollis tend to be the most consistently so. They will often beg for food and tend to swim around more than some of the other species.
