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woo, thats one big fish!!!! I should feed him when the lights are out right???

With proper care, that ornate should hit 22"-26" and be as big around as your wrist....a very impressive show fish (I have 5 large ornates that catch everyones' eyes).

hey fish, i just picked up a poly tonight also, a juvi ornate. Gonna raise him and hopefully work him into my 75g when i get it.

They like to rest on things such as ornaments, filters, plants....perfectly normal.

thanks tortis i think i have a ? anyway um is it ok if my
eel stays up by the filter or is that a bad sign??? He has an real easy acces to air. I took him out a few minutes a go 2 mesur him and it came up to 2in. i won't do that again for a while

[span class="edited"][Edited by fish1 2004-06-05 18:09][/span]

I give my bichir fry bloodworms, blackworms, frozen BBS, and the occasional sinking pellet....as they grow (which they do very quickly with room, good food, and good water quality), you can start offering larger meaty items, like chopped earthworms, bits of krill, etc. Sand substrates are best, but fine gravel works well, too. Be sure he can easily access the surface, as he will need to take periodic gulps of atmospheric air.

Here is a link to a senegal bichir care sheet I wrote a while back...it is not quite as detailed as the one in my upcoming book, but should contain just about all the info you will need...and feel free to ask any specific rearing questions you may have:

http://aquatic-hobbyist.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3362

kinda like that ,shini, was kinda shocked when she said i could do brine shrimp. lol

Yes, polypterus and their relative the ropefish can all breathe air. This allows them to go onto land and move about to other bodies of water. Keep your tank covered to prevent escape (can't believe I forgot about that)!

I'd use the freeze dried only as a treat.

I guess your mom isn't okay with different sorts of worms in the freezer. You may be able to use krill if they come small enough.

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

Is there any frozen food that my mom would approve of???
he ate some pellets last night. Since he is so young, i'll
try to get him on pellets. Are freeze dried worms ok??? Can anyone confirm that they can breath air?? thanks for all the replies!!!!!!!!!

Shrimp pellets will be fine if it eats them; sometimes predatory fish can be hard to get onto pellets, preferring dead meats (or live meats with pickier fish!). You can also feed cut up pieces of shrimp and fish meat. If well-fed the Polypterus will grow quite quickly.

That is a really small Polypterus; I've seen Kuhli Loaches bigger than that! It's good you're going to get a larger tank in the future; the Polypterus will do just fine in the larger tank!

Hatching live shrimp is good for feeding tiny baby fish. The baby shrimp are usually microscopic, making them too small to be eaten by anything bigger than a baby. Though your Polypterus is small, it might not even go after baby shrimp.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Shinigami 2004-06-05 15:15][/span]

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

i don't think hatching live shrimp is necessary...i've seen them eat frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp right off the bottom of the gravel so you can feed them that way too. it's easier in the long run.

thanks guys the fish is small like 2 in. i will be gettinga 55-75 gallon tank soon so i dont think space will be a prob..
my mom accully like the idea of hatching shrimp so i might try to feed it that
i have some wardly shrimp pellets will that be fine? thanks for all the quick replies i hope they still are coming!!!!!!

Usually Polypterus palmas. Hardy, usually easy to get to feed, and cool looking to boot; all the qualifications of a good fish to keep, except for the fact that they get almost a foot long! If you don't already, you'll want a bigger tank in the future, of course, like a 55 gallon.

Nitrate doesn't have to be kept at 0, though.

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

what you bought is probably a bichir of some type. i've seen them come up labelled as that at the store where i work (petsmart). bichirs are large, aggressive, predatory fish that will get to be at least 10" long. they can be fed frozen, pelleted and live food. i don't think they're fussy about pH, but nitrite, nitrate and ammonia should be kept at 0. they can be mixed with other large, aggressive fish such as cichlids, as long as they are similarly sized. i have heard that they can be territorial with other bichirs, so it may be best just to keep one.

they are awesome fish that i would definitely love to own one day!! good luck

It will grow to be at least 10-12" long.

I just bought an awsome fish its called a dinosaur eel does anyone have any info on it. What size ?
What does it eat.
it ill try to get a pic. sone!!!!




[span class="edited"][Edited by fish1 2004-07-04 08:11][/span]

fish1, I have high-speed cable.

Lunker...if your 180 is wide enough, and he is more or less solitary in it, you sould do fine...and if you do decide to sell him, the going rate in North America for a 24" ornate is $150-$250 (in Aus, he would be a $1500 fish).

well toirtis, im sure all bichirs will gobble them up but i was excited since its the first time ive had my baby eat one . About the poly in my LFS being a congo bichir, what are some evident signs to identify that species? I looked around at some sites and there seems to be many color variations but the one at my LFS is best described as a greenish-blue with varying shades of blue markings. Probably best if i just get a pic of him

ok im thinking of setting up a site were i could post some of those there really cool! um tortios should i be worried about stunting in the 6gallon cause i think i might leave them in a little longer also i dont think this was good about a months ago i was stupid and tossed a little peice of lemon pepper chicken and my eels ate it i emidiately thought that after they ate it ! but it seems it did know harm! im thinking about try night crawlers soon!

Keep up with water changes every 3-4 days on that 6, and you shoul be good for a couple more weeks.

well in that case its do for a change!

Looks like a pair of my P. palmas polli may be doing the spawning dance....its a bit late in the season, but she appears to be ovulating, so keep your fingers crossed.

cool well i moved them from the 6 cause im giong to set it up for fidlers! they are doing good and get fat! i keep em croosed

That would be awsome if they are spawning. I would love to see some of your setups, im sure you have numerous polypterus tanks. I really hate worrying about my ornate becoming too big, im sure it will be awhile before that becomes a problem but i really dont see myself getting a larger tank after the 180. BTW Toirtis, i was wondering what you would say is the PH range on bichirs. Many of the sites i have been to do not list anything higher than 7.5, but i thought some have been found in some of the same very alkaline enviroments as some cichlids?.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-07-24 23:04][/span]

They seem to tolerate pHs between 6.0-8.6 quite well (as you may know, ornates are found in Tanganyika)....I keep mine at around 7.4.

i keep mine 7.0! if that helpswell toirtis i can see them growing like every other other day so im expecting they will polish off those neons soon they only bother the neons during feeding time! but i figure some day they will be down the old gullit! o ya i go to the beach every summer last week of august and we go crabbing every day! well my grandma cooks em in all but i was wundering if i could feed some of that meat 2 my bichirs??it would be un seasoned well this one anyway i would just grab a claw right be she put them in the boil is seperately or when i got home! i will try to get some pics tonight! fish1

Yes, but not too much....it is an incomplete meal, and rather fatty.

ok thanks toitis! um well the smallest neon is missing! so im looking to get that tank like this weekend!] what about minnows could i feed them those?

Sure...feeder minnows, feeder guppies (I prefer using livebearers, especially home-grown ones), or even thawed frozen bait minnows.

yes. i go to a lake in the summer and they have minnows all over the place!

I don't suggest wild minnows, as you could be introducing all sorts of parasites, etc into your tank.

o well what if a qt them for 2weeks or not! i dont really want to feed my eels live fish to often anyway!

hey, here are some new pics that i took tonight! sorry it took so long and sorry that they are kinda junky!I think i might ask babs for some pointers! cause they are always moving now in there ever search for food!
do you know any .avi hosters? im thinking of manking a web site to host bichir movies but not srue!http://img46.exs.cx/img46/4237/usethiseel.jpg
there is the first!
this one is a tad bigger so you should be able to see him better! ]]]
http://img42.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img42&image=eelpics002.jpg





p.s the neons are disapearing trying to get my friends take soon! i lost one and thought it might have been a quinsidnce (sp) but i losts another today and am thinking its those bichirs! They are eating well and are nice and round! looking to start feeding them earthworms soon. sorry for all the ! i can type that faster than a .

{] talk to y'all later!

matthew!

double p.s. did you know that http://www.imageshack.us made it so it can host a little more than a mb for one pic! and it can also hold .swf no quite sure what those are but o well!

Argh! Quit calling them eels!

Im still not sure if i want to house one with african or american cichlids when i get the 180g. I like the africans better but for some reason i keep thinking it would be better off with SAs.

Argh! Quit calling them eels!

darn common name! i saw some more of the at a different petsmart the were a little bigger and 3-4in and they had about 10-12. i was tempted to buy one!

Im still not sure if i want to house one with african or american cichlids when i get the 180g. I like the africans better but for some reason i keep thinking it would be better off with SAs.

Senegals and palmas ssp. all go great with most Africans, and ornates do well with big Africans, like frontosa.

Endlicheri endlicheri, Africans or Americans?

I thought africans like harder higher ph water were as the bichir liked ph more around 7.0 7.4 ish!

I know some (but i am un-aware of all species) are found in the same high PH enviroments as african cichlids.

All Polypteridae are African in origin. They accept pH levels between 7.0-8.6 quite readily, and ornates are actually found in Lake Tanganyika, which has pH values of up to 9.2, depending on the region of the lake.

I know they are all from africa, but i was saying that I was un-sure if all are from high-PH regions since some sites i have read actually reccomend an acidic PH for some species. But then again, Toirtis is the most qualified to answer any polypterus related question .

Figured i would jump back into this thread since i got my baby ornate right when fish1 got his baby . The "polypeterus bichir" has been re-labeled "polypeterus congenitis (or something like that) I think that is the Nile/Congo bichir, correct? Its about 10" and im thinking of putting it on hold and putting it in my 90g since my baby ornate still has a while of growth before he is ready for a tank like that. Anyone have a site with good info on the congo bichir?

add earthworms to the list of foods my ornate will devour

...and all bichir species...I believe earthworms to be the favourite food of all my bichirs.

The "polypeterus bichir" has been re-labeled "polypeterus congenitis

It could be a congo bichir, Polypterus endlicheri congicus (I have two), and if it is, a 10" specimen is just a baby, as this beastie can hit 42" or more (the largest known bichir species).

That bichir on Aquabid looks like it could, indeed, be a P. p. buettikoferi, and if anyone in the US has them, Rehoboth would be it. $100 is a pretty decent price, too.

cool

yep, but i may put some small fish in their soon as feeders. After seeing him gulp down the worm im sure he will go after some smaller fish already.

awsome according to you siggy you have it in a 10 all bi itself??

it was about 3" when i first got him. I am tempted to say he has already grown and inch but that might just be wishful thinking

how big is yours ??? 2 in im not sure mine could hang

add earthworms to the list of foods my ornate will devour . I just went outside for a bit and found 3 small earthworms, dropped one in and it took my poly all of 5 seconds to find it and slurp it up

wow mine dont like the SP as much as the frozen food ow well

Ive tried krill, shrimp pellets, tubifex cubes, live blackworms and carnivore wafers. He has taken the tubifex cubes, shrimp pellets (his favorite) and the live blackworms.

cool lunker, im getting a bigger tank as soon as my baby bichir grows to be bout 4-6 in.! what do you feed yours

Hey Toirtis, I was just wondering how that book was coming? Can't say I've seen anything online about it.

Also, I was curious what Polypterids I could keep in my 125 gallon tank? It's current inhabitants are a Bala and a Royal Plec (though a Tigrinus Catfish could be a temporary inhabitant some day). I have seen tanks with plecs that do not suck on bichirs; I'm aware of the danger, but I'd like to try it out. If in fact there is no aggression from the Plec, I'd be more worried about the bichirs taking all of the plec's food! For bichirs, I am planning two Ornates, two Pollis, and maybe two Delhezi for now. Since I've seen what I think is a 180 gallon with over 10 bichirs, I don't think I'm at the maximum number of bichirs quite yet. What do you think?

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

Well the pollis and delhezis are on the smaller side and could stay in there, but since ornates get to 24"+ you couldnt keep them in there for good.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-01 22:46][/span]

Hey Toirtis, I was just wondering how that book was coming? Can't say I've seen anything online about it.

Chances are you won't until publishing date.

Since I've seen what I think is a 180 gallon with over 10 bichirs, I don't think I'm at the maximum number of bichirs quite yet. What do you think?

Depends on the species you pick...10 smaller bichirs in a 180 is just fine, but I cannot imagine more than 4 ornates or endlicheri ssp. in some thing that size.

There is an Endlicheri "club" webpage somewhere that i used to look at

Used to be...its been offline for awhile.

That does it. Ornates are lazy fish anyway. So it seems I'll just go with the four Bichirs if there are no further suggestions.:%)

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