Wanting a bichir.

[cnoel08]

Hello guys and girls.
I am wanting a bichir and know virtually nothing about them besides they look awesome.
Are there any that would be good in a 29gal for life or if not life for several years?
Are they generally aggressive?
What do they eat? ( i have my other fish on hikari (sp?) shrimp pellets)
What are some cool ones that run under or around $30 US?
Would a tank with sand substrate, driftwood, and plants be ok?
My lfs has "dinosaur bichirs" and if i remember correctly they are like $10-$20.
Thanks everyone!

 

[cnoel08]

ok i have a couple of votes in the poll but no actual help yet...
please say something!

 

[Pyramid_Party]

I think some people didnt bother to read your post before voting. I voted for not getting it. Reason being, a 29 gal isnt suitable for any Bichir. The smallest being the senegal bichir, and thats not enough for them. They will eat sinking pellets, shrimp, live foods just about anything if you try it. But they need a varied diet. The setup you explained with rocks, wood, plants etc, is good.


Dinosaur bichirs are really senegal bichirs, the others are a bit more money and a little more harder to find. You might get lucky to find one for $30, but more likely in the cost closer to $40. Size also makes a difference in cost too.

 

[Krogs]

Your questions about size, setup, aggression, diet, etc can all be found by reading the stickys, but if your lfs charges 10-$20 for a senegalus don't pay. They are common, low cost, cuter when younger, and it's always more fun to grow a fish than buy an adult.

Plus it would not be nice to place any adult bichir in a 29g

 

[Austin]

i would say you could keep a delhezi in there for a bit, seem to be pretty slow growers

 

[XxPrudencexX]

I would say get a bigger tank first because the tank you have wont even last a year. Mine grew out of a 30 in just a couple of months.

 

[rob22]

how soon are you looking to up grade. if with in a 3 months then get one. if not i would wait. they will eat sinking pellets worms beef hearts. mine are not aggressive at all. you can get alot for around $30. ornate with grows very fast. senegal with is the one you called a dinosaur bichirs. grows slower and i think only gets like 12" let me know if i am wrong anyone. delheeze not sure on the spelling. your tank setup sounds fine. i run sand and drift wood with rocks but mine are in a 210. good luck if you have any questions let me know

 

[Bichir4Life]

Drop the plants if i were you, bichirs are very messy eaters and i'm having troubles keeping my plants with them knocking them out all over the place! Easiest way to keep them is glass bottom (Sand is fine too), some drift wood and rocks. but as everyone else has already stated 29g is way to small it will be fine for a few months. Sen's i think are the most active and user friendly!

 

[beblondie]

I am wanting a bichir and know virtually nothing about them besides they look awesome.yes they are awesome
Are there any that would be good in a 29gal for life or if not life for several years?not really
they generally aggressive?generally no however there are exceptions
What do they eat? ( i have my other fish on hikari (sp?) shrimp pellets)read the primer in the sticky section
What are some cool ones that run under or around $30 US?polypterus senegalus
Would a tank with sand substrate, driftwood, and plants be ok?yes
My lfs has "dinosaur bichirs" and if i remember correctly they are like $10-$20.those would be Polypterus senegalus
Thanks everyone!

 

[geeimatree]

get a larger tank and get a bichir
a bichir IMO is a MUST HAVE fish