Thoughts on bichir aggression

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K

Keeper of the Ropes

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Mar 29, 2006
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So I was thinking the other day... do you think bichirs need to be "socialized" in the way that puppies do?

I have a baby endli ... not sure if yall remember the pictures of the 2'' baby I got from darmalisdragonfish with the externals or not. Anyway, he's around 6'' now (still with externals I might add :D) and is in a 20g. He's the only bichir in there... only tankmates are a pair of 3'' jags and a convict he never ate that is now too big to be dinner. He's growing wonderfully in there, but I have to wonder. Should I move him up or give him some other bichir tank mates so that when he outgrows the 20 and goes to a bigger tank he isn't shocked by having other bichirs around and living in a social group? Do you think being around other fish as youngsters has ANY affect on their personality as adults?

Interesting. Any thoughts??

Keeper
 
I doubt that they can be socialized like puppies...

I believe that a group of bichirs sets up a heirarchy, the strongest, most aggressive and largest are usually at the top. I notice only the dominant ones show aggression to the lesser ones to keep them in line, whereas the less dominant ones will not show aggression to any more dominant ones, but may show aggression to lesser ones.

Adding the new endi to a tank with a set up heirarchy may result on temporary aggression. The new bichir will have to assert its position in the heriarchy, if it is large and aggressive it may end up near the top... if it is the smallest and most shy, it may end up at the bottom... but either way your group will most likely see a restructuring of that heirarchy.

I find that once the heirarchy is established the tank is peaceful and no hard core fights. Of course you will see the occassional but harmless nip to keep the lessers in line and the accidental bite during feeding frenzies, but no hard core duke outs between two.
 
all my bichirs get along..they never fight
 
I kinda agree with street cypher.
IMO, some bichirs may be 'socialized' but with limits. I think it depends on the species, the size, the gender, and the individual fish.
Here are situations I've experienced:
i've kept a senegal alone for years with nothing but feeders for tankmates. This did not affect her aggressiveness. She was even kept with a del 1/3 her size.

My endli, on the other hand, has lived with other bichirs all his life. When i got my second endli, who unfortunately happened to be a male too, the first one tore the new guy's fins and tail to shreds. The third endli was a female and wasnt harmed.

When i added a lap that's bigger than endli 1, it was his tail that got shredded.

I also kept a polli with some really big sens and endlis before. The biggies never bothered her but she became more outgoing/socialble when she was moved to another tank whose hierarchy was'nt so hard to climb. this tank's biggest bichir was only 1.5 times her size.
 
my smallest albinos when they entered the tank had a few fin nips here and there, nothing serious. Now they're not much bigger but they know their place.

Whenever I introduce a new fish I rearrange a few things so they're all kinda out of place, not just the new guy. I find they all kinda have their own territory and don't always like being cramped with "the new guy". :irked:
 
When I only had two had senegals ones fins disappeared. He had no problem getting over it but since then I've kept more than two....
 
not in the least, mine killed three fish it's size the first day.
 
6 endli's, congicus, ornate, 2 dels, a lap and 2 senegals and never seen one bit of aggression to any fish let alone themselves. hence the ram living in the valley of the endli's!!!

if someone can explain how an 18" congicus lives with a 2.5" ram for a year now please let me know! :D

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