top water predators for 80 gallon

[Joshuakahan]

ok

Hao gave you the best answer, he knows a lot more than me

 

[Joshuakahan]

Depends on the dimension but if its a 48"x18" footprint. Most of the upper jaws and some cb lower jaws (but it depends) should be fine in it for life.
To elaborate on what I mean by "it depends", it will mainly depend on the fish's genetics on how big they'll grow. Generally speaking, captive bred ones will not grow as big as the wild ones especially if it has an inbred look to it.
Another factor is the bichir's appetite, how much does the fish actually eat, some bichirs (especially wild caught ones) just eat enough to maintain/get by, so those ones are less likely to reach their max potential size.
Bichir's size/growth is also affected by the water quality as well. (how much and how often you are going to be doing water changes)

As for how many, that's probably dependent on your filtration and your own preference. (do you like the empty look or the carpet look?)

Thanks!

Depends on the dimension but if its a 48"x18" footprint. Most of the upper jaws and some cb lower jaws (but it depends) should be fine in it for life.
To elaborate on what I mean by "it depends", it will mainly depend on the fish's genetics on how big they'll grow. Generally speaking, captive bred ones will not grow as big as the wild ones especially if it has an inbred look to it.
Another factor is the bichir's appetite, how much does the fish actually eat, some bichirs (especially wild caught ones) just eat enough to maintain/get by, so those ones are less likely to reach their max potential size.
Bichir's size/growth is also affected by the water quality as well. (how much and how often you are going to be doing water changes)

As for how many, that's probably dependent on your filtration and your own preference. (do you like the empty look or the carpet look?)

Thanks!

 

[Hao]

Depends on the dimension but if its a 48"x18" footprint. Most of the upper jaws and some cb lower jaws (but it depends) should be fine in it for life.
To elaborate on what I mean by "it depends", it will mainly depend on the fish's genetics on how big they'll grow. Generally speaking, captive bred ones will not grow as big as the wild ones especially if it has an inbred look to it.
Another factor is the bichir's appetite, how much does the fish actually eat, some bichirs (especially wild caught ones) just eat enough to maintain/get by, so those ones are less likely to reach their max potential size.
Bichir's size/growth is also affected by the water quality as well. (how much and how often you are going to be doing water changes)

As for how many, that's probably dependent on your filtration and your own preference. (do you like the empty look or the carpet look?)

I also wanted to add that lot of times bichirs tend to sit at the LFS for a very long time. The longer they stay at the LFS (they get starved/malnourished), the more likely they are going to be stunted, which lowers their chances of reaching their max potential size as well. Wild ones are also often starved by the exporters for weeks up to months prior to shipping them out to various countries (which leads to the misconception of people thinking wild bichirs are skinny in comparison to captive bred bichirs).

 

[tlindsey]

lot of times bichirs tend to sit at the LFS for a very long time. The longer they stay at the LFS (they get starved/malnourished)

From my experience this is accurate. Some big box stores don't have a clue on what to feed bichir.

 

[Joshuakahan]

I also wanted to add that lot of times bichirs tend to sit at the LFS for a very long time. The longer they stay at the LFS (they get starved/malnourished), the more likely they are going to be stunted, which lowers their chances of reaching their max potential size as well. Wild ones are also often starved by the exporters for weeks up to months prior to shipping them out to various countries (which leads to the misconception of people thinking wild bichirs are skinny in comparison to captive bred bichirs).

I’m one of those that thought WC were built differently than CB, that makes a lot of sense though

 

[Hao]

I’m one of those that thought WC were built differently than CB, that makes a lot of sense though

wild caught ones do distribute their fat more evenly than captive bred for sure. They also take longer to build up fat, probably higher metabolism which tends to slow down in captivity over the years, which is why many wild caught ones tend to look somewhat captive after say 5+ years.

 

[Joshuakahan]

wild caught ones do distribute their fat more evenly than captive bred for sure. They also take longer to build up fat, probably higher metabolism which tends to slow down in captivity over the years, which is why many wild caught ones tend to look somewhat captive after say 5+ years.

I had a WC sen a few years ago and it definitely looked leaner and more elongated than the CBs. It ate a lot but never really fattened up. It was also pretty long compared to CBs, probably around 11-12”

 

[Hao]

I had a WC sen a few years ago and it definitely looked leaner and more elongated than the CBs. It ate a lot but never really fattened up. It was also pretty long compared to CBs, probably around 11-12”

Yeah I’ve noticed wild caught west African Senegals, teugelsi and certain lapradeis tend to stay leaner. I guess genetics. But there’s always some outliers that are chunky. Lake Turkana Senegals, a majority of them seem to bulk up similiar to the cb ones.

 

[hancotip]

Thank you very much but what is lower jaw cb
Captive breed

 

[Joshuakahan]

Thank you very much but what is lower jaw cb
Captive breed

Lower jaws are ones like laps, endis, congos etc…the lower jaw sticks out a little and lower jaw types are bigger
Upper jaws look like they have an over bite like sens, delhezi, ornates etc.
Captive bred means bred in a tank, not taken from the wild.