what is the biggest bichir

[Infblue]

P. endlicheri congicus - largest recorded size is around 38", but typically they don't get as big. that congicus in the pic is definitely one of the biggest i've seen, but its hard to say exactly what size from a pic. for reference, the gar behind it is a tropical gar (3 footer is already pretty darn big for this species), so its no 4 or 5 foot gator gar.

P. ansorgii - largest i've seen pics of is about 30", but supposedly there are some 36" individuals.

P. bichir bichir - again largest i've seen pics of is about 30", although from anecdotal sources they're supposed to reach close to 4ft.

SO, based on official record, biggest would be congicus. But based on growth rate observation, my opinion is that bichir bichir is the largest, with congicus and ansorgii fighting or tieing for 2nd place.

 

[X24]

P. endlicheri congicus - largest recorded size is around 38", but typically they don't get as big. that congicus in the pic is definitely one of the biggest i've seen, but its hard to say exactly what size from a pic. for reference, the gar behind it is a tropical gar (3 footer is already pretty darn big for this species), so its no 4 or 5 foot gator gar.

P. ansorgii - largest i've seen pics of is about 30", but supposedly there are some 36" individuals.

P. bichir bichir - again largest i've seen pics of is about 30", although from anecdotal sources they're supposed to reach close to 4ft.

SO, based on official record, biggest would be congicus. But based on growth rate observation, my opinion is that bichir bichir is the largest, with congicus and ansorgii fighting or tieing for 2nd place.

bichir bichir might end up a little longer then congicus, but the question was which is the BIGGEST not longest...idc if the bichir bichir is a foot longer, it doesn't have more mass then that giant water sausage they call the congicus

 

[BrtnBoy449]

i found this picture of a huge one google

 

[jessiejames]

these are the biggest ornate's i've seen. although not alot of places around here carry bichirs. (sorry about the crappy pics theyre from my crappy phone)

 

[Infblue]

bichir bichir might end up a little longer then congicus, but the question was which is the BIGGEST not longest...idc if the bichir bichir is a foot longer, it doesn't have more mass then that giant water sausage they call the congicus

well the topic poster didn't say biggest "in terms of mass only". i can ask someone how big a fish is, and i think most people would answer with a length.

So both 'biggest in terms of mass' and 'biggest in terms of length' are valid, and true longest doesn't equate to most mass. So it may be that the longest congicus has more mass than the longest bichir bichir. But at the same time who's to say a ~4ft bichir bichir (if one does get that big) doesn't have the same mass as a 38" congicus (longest recorded length)? after all thats still an 8"-10" difference in length.

that aside, lets not forget ansorgii. a 36" ansorgii would have as much mass, or perhaps even more, as a 36"-38" congicus, since its also a wide body species.

 

[X24]

well the topic poster didn't say biggest "in terms of mass only". i can ask someone how big a fish is, and i think most people would answer with a length.

So both 'biggest in terms of mass' and 'biggest in terms of length' are valid, and true longest doesn't equate to most mass. So it may be that the longest congicus has more mass than the longest bichir bichir. But at the same time who's to say a ~4ft bichir bichir (if one does get that big) doesn't have the same mass as a 38" congicus (longest recorded length)? after all thats still an 8"-10" difference in length.

that aside, lets not forget ansorgii. a 36" ansorgii would have as much mass, or perhaps even more, as a 36"-38" congicus, since its also a wide body species.

great points...i guess you are just going to have to win the lottery and tell us in 5 years (assuming you spend the money on bichir bichir and a huge tank instead of meaningless things such as a house and cars )

but i think people can get the point with this. congicus is the largest thusfar proven, and we are still waiting for fully grown bichir bichir and ansorgii to compare.

 

[ghostknifefish0909]

****** thats a big bichir

-GKF

 

[pirarucu319]

that's huge bichirs..any endli monster size..??

 

[Infblue]

great points...i guess you are just going to have to win the lottery and tell us in 5 years (assuming you spend the money on bichir bichir and a huge tank instead of meaningless things such as a house and cars )

but i think people can get the point with this. congicus is the largest thusfar proven, and we are still waiting for fully grown bichir bichir and ansorgii to compare.

nah no need to win the lotto, at least not the jackpot, although i certainly wouldn't mind its been my dream bichir for many years, so in my book its as important and meaningful as the other things

yeah the official record belongs to congicus at this point. However, there are 36" ansorgii already in the market supposedly, if thats true that would put it on par with the congicus. We certainly still need to wait for fully grown bichir bichir, i think best bet is to find one in the wild.

 

[ironmunki]

beastly bichirs! i see a few congicus in lfs around here. now i know i can never purchase one of these bad boys unless i triple my current tank size.