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Actually, senegals rarely exceed 30 cm, and almost never hit even 32.5 cm....even still, they should be just fine with the butterflys (this combination has been done successfully before), assuming the butterflys are a decent size ( at least 7-8 cm), and the bichirs are fed regularly.

An ornate would be ideal...they are very attractive, and usually max-out at 24", although 26" is possible.

I plan on getting a endlicheri endlicheri (perhaps from rehoboth if my LFS doesnt come up with a decent sized one for me) and setting up a 125g for it. You think a 125 would be ample for one Toirtis?

No! P. endlicheri endlicheri grow to 3 feet long or more. P. endlicheri congicus is the largest growing (I believe) reaching close to 4 feet in length.

I am also considering a P. endlicheri endlicheri to go in my 125 or 150 gallon. If the bichir was bought at ~6", Toirtis said a 125 or 150 would be ok for 12-18 months and then a larger tank would be necessary. I asked him the exact same thing on page 9 of the General Polypterus thread. His reply is on page 10.

Incidentally, you should set up the 125 gallon (180 would be better though) for the ornate as they can grow to 2 feet or just slightly smaller.

Jason

Jason

[span class="edited"][Edited by jason_r_s 2004-07-04 00:04][/span]

Great Article. Ive become very facisnated with polypterus species lately. I have a 4" ornate and I had a 9" Nile that recently escaped the tank and died. I plan on getting a endlicheri endlicheri (perhaps from rehoboth if my LFS doesnt come up with a decent sized one for me) and setting up a 125g for it. You think a 125 would be ample for one Toirtis?

.in fact, quite the opposite is true (oscars are aggressive, whereas bichirs are, for the most part, simply predatory).

I must have missed this when posting before, but this is really a common misconception. Oscars are typically not very aggressive at all. In fact, behaviorly speaking they are very similar to bichirs. There may be some territorial aggression to conspecific males, but they typically get along very well with other larger, peaceful fish. The only reason an oscar might go after a bichir is if the bichir is small enough to look like a snack. If care is taken to properly acclimate and introduce the 2 fish together, I think oscars and bichirs would get along great.

Jason

sorry for the late reply( i did a search on bichirs) i enjoyed the article cali you did a fine job~!!!

toirtis, yes i have been lucky in regards to the midas. while kept in my 125, she has never harmed a non aggressive fish. i have kept bala sharks, several small loaches, the bichir and even small cory cats with her with no problem. now, another cichlid intruding in her area...that's a different story. but honestly, the most she has ever really done is a lot of chasing. she is very mild mannered for a midas so long as the other cichlids in her tank stayed out of her way. in fact, she is in a 29 gallon tank right now (awaiting trade in to the lfs with a red zebra (also awaiting trade in). she has not bothered the zebra at all.

as for the festae's, they were not really a threat to the bichir. when i added them to the tank, they were barely 2". i was more worried about the bichir eating the festae's than anything else.

in my experience, i have found that even some of the more aggressive new world cichlids species (i.e. jaguar, midas, red terrors even though they are still small) will rarely bother any non-aggressive schooling type fish. i have seen the midas swim through a pair of bala sharks to chase a jack dempsey away from her territory without giving a second thought to the sharks.

waaaahahahahaha!
Spoke to a rare fish store to see about the Synodontis Angelicus.....I saw the USD prices of $50 - $100.. I figured..thats ok ...not too bad.
$700 AUD!....jebus..thats the sort of fish I would get a seperate insurance policy for..House, Contents & FISH!
Well on the brighter note they have African Butterfly fish for $30
They didnt even give me a price on an African Knife fish..it would need to be imported..so in other words Price on Application
ehehehe.
wow an african themed tank is NOT cheap

You are fortunate to be an exception, Jason....I have heard many aquarists speak of midas cichlids and festaes (flowerhorns are especially bad for this, too, I hear)killing or maiming bichirs (apparently they go for the eyes first).

Thanks Jason, your information reassures me. Wow, all I have to do is wait for the store to bring them in now...:%)

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i have a senegal bicher...here is a pic
[img]http://www.fishprofiles.net/files/~jason_r_s/bicher 1.jpg[/img]

he is surprisingly easy to feed. he will eat any frozen foods that i feed...krill, blood worms, brine shrimp, beefheart. he has taken different live foods, such as feeder fish, meal worms and even a spider. he also readily eats cichlid pellets and sinking shrimp pellets. he is not really picky at all, so long as the food is aimed at carniverous fishes. i keep him in my 125 gallon with some juvenile red terrors and juvenile jack dempseys. a wonderful fish for any large tank with large inhabitants. i've never had a problem with him bothering other fish that i've kept (with the exception of course of feeders) and i've never had a problem with my larger cichlids bothering him. in fact, my large midas was in the tank when i first introduced him. she mearly examined him for a minute out of curiosity, but never bothered him.[/font]

Bichirs

Bichirs are an unusual group of fishes, belonging to the Family Polypteridae, a Family with a very ancient lineage indeed. The assortment of anatomical peculiarities that these fishes possess have made them favourite subjects for scientific study, and with that, I shall begin by introducing the reader to the truly outlandish anatomical pot-pourri that these fishes present to the careful eye.

Articulation of the skull bones point to these fishes being among the few living descendants of the Order Palaeonisciformes, dating from the Middle Devonian era (around 410 million years ago), and they possess in addition the same scale structure. The scales are heavy ganoid scales, coupled to each other by peg-and-socket arrangements, forming an effective mailed armour. The Polypterids also possess lobed fins, similar to those seen on Crossopterygian fishes (again Middle Devonian), and the living Coelacanths, to which the Polypterids are not even distantly related. The Polypterids also have a spiracle on either side of the head, similar to cartilaginous fishes such as the sharks, again, to which they are only distantly related. The natatory vesicle (swim bladder) is modified to form a lung-like structure which resembles that of the lungfishes of the Order Lepidosireniforms (and you guessed it, the Polypterids are not closely related to these either). The pelvic fins (and even the pelvic girdle) are absent, and the dorsal fin consists of ten separate and independently moveable finlets, identical in appearance (and possibly even instructure) to those seen on another unrelated fish, Birkenia, an extinct jawless fish from the Silurian era (450 million years ago). Finally, the olfactory sensors (responsible for smell and contained in nostrils in most other vertebrates) are located on the ends of two tubes that protrude from the snout. All in all, a truly wild assortment of features, hence their description by some scientists as the Duck-Billed Platypuses of the fish world.

As for species, the Reed Fish or Rope Fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) has already been covered in another post, and is the sole species of the Genus. The Genus Polypterus, however, contains around 13 species, of which I have been able to discover some information about 10 (including assorted subspecies). It is to this Genus that the Bichirs belong, and these fishes are interesting, if somewhat demanding aquarium occupants. Hardiness is not a problem with these fishes, as they will adapt to a wide range of water conditions, although those similar to their home waters are obviously preferable. The big problems that the aquarist will face will be: [1] feeding and associated filtration issues; [2] appropriate companions; and [3] their reputation as escape artists.

First, feeding. Bichirs are predators, with voracious appetites, and can swallow surprisingly large prey items. Given that Bichirs also tend to be large themselves (some species reach 90 cm in length!), this means that they have heroic appetites, and an equally heroic ability to pollute the water. So they will need spacious quarters, suitably chosen food items (live fishes will of course be relished, but some can be weaned onto dead meaty foods), and power filtration is not so much desirable as essential for these big eaters.

Second, companions. Bichirs can be kept with other fishes, but only if those other fishes are similarly large and tough. The cavernous mouth of a Bichir can accommodate unbelievable quantities of food, and so companions should be at least as large as the Bichir itself, and preferably larger. Big Cichlids can make good companions, and the Bichir's mailed armour of ganoid scales provides excellent protection from attack by Cichlids. Indeed, the Bichir will probably give as good as it gets, and then some!

Third, covering the aquarium. Bichirs, and the Reed Fish, are notorious escape artists. In the wild, they not only breathe air, but are capable of travelling over land to find better waterways when their home waters become putrid or dry out altogether. Bichirs are also acrobatic jumpers (see later), and need to be covered. Furthermore, because of their size, powerful musculature, and ability to find their way through surprisingly small holes, covers not only need to be tight-fitting, but backed up by a robust and heavy aquarium hood. Big adults are capable of crashing through a light hood with disastrous results, and so it might be advisable to keep the hood weighted down with bricks!

Bichirs are natives of Africa, and can be found scattered over a wide range of waterways, as will be seen when I list the species below. The majority are West African species, found in warm, soft, slightly acidic swamp waters, but at least two species can also be found in Lake Tanganyika, in the hard, alkaline waters for which this Rift Lake is well known. Those two species can also be found in the Congo River, and so, knowing the point of collection is important in the case of these two species, when providing suitable water conditions. Being mainly equatorial fishes, Bichirs like their water warm, 24C being a minimum for good health, and some species can stand temperatures as high as 34C, although the aquarist is advised not to exceed 28C for extended periods. 26C suits most species rather well.

Because Bichirs are air-breathing fishes, providing sufficient depth of water for them to take air at the correct angle is important. The tight-fitting cover is not only needed to prevent these fishes from making an escape onto the living room floor, but to keep the air that they breathe reasonably warm, as befits fishes whose natural habitats radiate from equatorial Africa. Like certain Labyrinth fishes, Bichirs benefit from care and attention in this regard.

If one can offer a large aquarium for one of these living fossils, they make interesting aquarium occupants. Do not under any circumstances let their usual sluggish movements fool you - these fishes can jump like an Olympic high jumper! To help provide them with a secure home, one that resembles their native waters, and possibly lessen their "escape artist" tendencies, furnish their aquarium with large pieces of bogwood, and the largest and toughest of plants - Giant Sagittaria, even small water lilies will probably be the order of the day. Also, note that these powerfully muscled fishes are given to rearranging the decor if they don't like what is provided, so be prepared to exercise some ingenuity in order to keep your furnishings in place!

Reports of spawning in the aquarium are extremely rare, but observations of their spawning behaviour in the wild are informative - not least with respect to their Houdini antics! Spawning for the West African species at least coincides with the rainy season, and the expansion of their home waters to form flooded swampy areas, usually during August & September. In the resulting shallows, Bichirs group together, and males begin pursuing females. Courting couples leap together out of the water as part of their courtship ritual, which accounts for some of their reported jumping in the aquarium, and the aquarist who is fortunate enough to have the space to keep more than one Bichir in an aquarium may witness this. Consequently, any attempt at spawning must take place in a deep aqua-terrarium to simulate their natural environment, and allow for their courtship acrobatics.

Once the pursuit has ended, and after a brief rest period, the male Bichir will move on top of the female, press down upon her with his head, and sweep her with his anal fin. Some authorities report that the male's anal fin is "swollen and folded at the breeding season", and may be employed as a copulatory organ, though details in this regard are somewhat sketchy. The female is said by some authorities to have a larger head than the male, although it remains to be seen if this diagnostic characteristic is reliable. When spawning does take place, it is usually amid clumps of plants (whether fine-leaved, broad-leaved or reed-like is not cited), and egg batches can number 300 or so eggs. These hatch approximately four days after being laid. No information is currently available on fry care, although given the size of the parents, I would suspect that the fry would be large upon hatching, and able to take full-sized Daphnia the moment they become free-swimming.

Now, for some species. Each will be accompanied by size and geographical distribution data.

Polypterus ansorgii (Guinean Bichir) - West Africa (Guinea), 28 cm.

Polypterus bichir bichir (Nile Bichir) - Nile, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, 68 cm.

Polypterus bichir katangae - Central Africa (Katanga region), 45 cm.

Polypterus bichir lapradei - Most of West Africa, 60 cm+.

Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir) - Central Africa, Upper & Middle Congo, 35 cm.

Polypterus enlicheri congicus (Congo Bichir) - Congo River, Lake Tanganyika, 97 cm.

Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled or Red Bichir) - Nigeria, Lake Chad, White Nile, 60 cm+.

Polypterus ornatipinnis (Ornate Bichir) - Central & East Africa, COngo River Basin, Lake Tanganyika, 60 cm.

Polypterus palmas buttikoferi West Africa, 35 cm.

Polypterus palmas palmas (Marbled Bichir) - Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, 30 cm.

Polypterus palmas polli (Poll's Bichir) - West & Central Africa, Congo River, 30 cm.

Polypterus retropinnis (West African Bichir) - West & Central Africa, 33 cm.

Polypterus senegalus meridionalis - Central Africa, 70 cm.

Polypterus senegalus senegalus (Senegal Bichir) - East, West & Central Africa, 70 cm.

Polypterus weeksii (Mottled Bichir or Week's Bichir) - Congo River, 40-60 cm.

Of these, I have seen the Ornate Bichir, Polypterus ornatipinnis, live - a single specimen kept by an aquarist of my aquaintance some years ago, which was the sole occupant of a 72"x24"x24" aquarium, and which was 18 inches (50 cm) long when I first encountered it. To say that it even looked atavistic and prehistoric actually understates the case somewhat, as this fish bore no resemblance to anything I had seen before, or for that matter since! It spent much of its time patrolling the water surface, intermittently poking its head slightly above the water surface to take air with an audible 'slurp', and would sometimes show its disdain for its owner by splashing his face with a powerful flick of the tail! Colour pattern is a sort of beige and brown mosaic, and I was told by its keeper that it took its meals in fairly large quantities, separated by 2-3 day intervals, supposedly approximating its likely feeding pattern in the wild. To think that this fish had changed relatively little in something like 400 million years, however, was the most impressive aspect - fishes very close to the Bichirs in appearance and possibly in anatomical structure were cruising Devonian waters, a good 150 million years or more before the dinosaurs existed. That alone was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when watching it - this fish predates the Jurassic Era by over 200 million years, and its ancestors have survived no less than three major extinction events on Earth, including the Permian extinction event that erased 90% of the then total living species from the slate, and the now-infamous Cretaceous extinction event that saw off the dinosaurs. What a story this fish could tell us if we could figure out how to listen ... !


edit: (fixed missing letter) - koi


[span class="edited"][Edited by koi keeper 2003-10-15 21:15][/span]

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

has ANYONE kept these fish together?

Many thanks for that ... I was wondering when you were going to post Toirtis..you seem to be the resident internet expert on the Bichir.

Ok well I will leave the spinys in my 4 ft tank.
Has anyone had any experience with African Butterfly fish and the Bichirs? I know they are both predatory but the bichir im looking at getting gets to be around 40 cms..the butterfly fish gets to 10cm.


[span class="edited"][Edited by Tang 2003-10-19 10:15][/span]

The bichirs are a potential threat to the spiny eels (I can just imagine the bichirs merrily hunting the eels at night through that tubing), particularly if there is any appreciable size-difference between the two, but would not be to the oscars...in fact, quite the opposite is true (oscars are aggressive, whereas bichirs are, for the most part, simply predatory).

The bichirs you saw were most likely Polypterus senegalus senegalus, as the P. s. meridionalis are much less common....even outside Australia (here in North America, we pay the equivalent of $30 AUS for the same ornate bichir that you would pay $350 AUS for...and P. s. senegalus go for around the equivalent of $8-$12 AUS each here).

Ok well I have bought my 5x2x2 tank and it should be arriving in about 2 weeks....I did spot some bichirs in the LFS and the small ones retailed for $395 AUD ..the larger ones fetching $600 AUD...
but as the guy said..you pay for rarity.
My setup was to be a 5x2x2 with a salmontail, 2 tiger oscars and 2 spiny eels.
Since I am getting (most probably) a bichir .. I would like to keep the spiny eels and that shouldnt be a problem given that I am going to make a PVC tubing tunnel network under the gravel and they are nocturnal fish. Any suggestions for what else I could keep with the bichir...LFS said they will attack the oscars if an oscar doesnt stand a chance..what does? african tiger fish maybe? How about a red bellied piranha?

The species I saw was Polypterus senegalus meridionalis or the Gray Bichir

Any thoughts or suggestions are most welcome.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Tang 2003-10-17 04:11][/span]

Toirtis, I'll look out for that book!

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

In which case Toirtis, you should have written this article

I did, about 100 pages worth, and with luck, you can purchase it in hardcover in about 8 months.

Nice to know that someone's succeeded with these critters ... tell me, are they territorial?

Some species do show apparent territorial aggression toward conspecifics, bt this may be partly due to limited space in home aquaria...I would love to do a study on them in their native habitat.

And as for captive breeding, did yours jump like the ones in the wild?

Yes, and not just when spawning, either.....I nearly caught a 16" ornate in my eye when, during a routine water change, he decided to leave the tank like a torpedo.

In which case Toirtis, you should have written this article

Nice to know that someone's succeeded with these critters ... tell me, are they territorial? Only I figured that they'd need a LOT of space if you were going to keep several

And as for captive breeding, did yours jump like the ones in the wild?

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

A few 'fine tunings':

and an equally heroic ability to pollute the water.

Actually, for their size, they produce surprisingly little waste.

live fishes will of course be relished, but some can be weaned onto dead meaty foods

Most will take frozen and fresh meaty foods as readily as live foods, with no work at all.

Because Bichirs are air-breathing fishes, providing sufficient depth of water for them to take air at the correct angle is important.

So important is this, that denied the ability to regularly breach, a bichir will drown.

and the largest and toughest of plants - Giant Sagittaria, even small water lilies will probably be the order of the day

Anubias varieties and Bolbitus are most excellent plants for this as well, and are native to Polypterid habitats.

Some authorities report that the male's anal fin is "swollen and folded at the breeding season", and may be employed as a copulatory organ, though details in this regard are somewhat sketchy.

The male's anal fin becomes larger, and shaped like a deep, wide coffee mug....this is swept across the female's vent repeatedly until she deposits her eggs into it.

No information is currently available on fry care, although given the size of the parents, I would suspect that the fry would be large upon hatching, and able to take full-sized Daphnia the moment they become free-swimming.

Sure it is....read Azuma, Igarashi, and soon, my book as well. Fry are about 1cm on hatching, becoming free-swimming a couple of days later, taking brine shrimp nauplii and microworms readily. Fry MUST be seperated, as they are extremely cannibalistic.

Polypterus ansorgii (Guinean Bichir) - West Africa (Guinea), 28 cm.
Polypterus bichir katangae - Central Africa (Katanga region), 45 cm.

Note....these two species lack holotypes, and are very debatable, likely being synonomous with other described species.

***Addenum: P. senegalus ssp. do not exceed 33 cm***

All in all, a good article.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Toirtis 2003-10-19 21:16][/span]