Bichirs portraits...a few from my 'collection' (load warning)
- Thread starter Fruitbat
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wow, they look amazing!!!
are they hard to keep? what and how do you feed them? how big of a tank do you need for one (the one that grows 12 inches, i forget what they are called)?
i ask because i was just looking at these guys the other day and thinking of getting some if i can get another tank.
thanks.
are they hard to keep? what and how do you feed them? how big of a tank do you need for one (the one that grows 12 inches, i forget what they are called)?
i ask because i was just looking at these guys the other day and thinking of getting some if i can get another tank.
thanks.
Polypterus senegalus and the various subspecies of Polypterus palmas (like p. palmas and p. polli) won't go much beyond 12 inches or so and then only after quite a few years (they can live to 30 years or more in the aquarium). They can be easily housed in a 55 gallon tank even at adult size....though a standard 55 is a little narrow for them when they're fully grown. Polypterus senegalus and the subspecies of Polypterus palmas are among the best for bichir 'beginners' because they're active, not especially aggressive, and don't get enormously big.
Bichirs (and their close relative the reed or rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) are very easy to take care of. They are quite tolerant of water conditions and will eat almost any meaty food. I feed mine a diet of frozen silversides, frozen beef heart, frozen and freeze-dried shrimp, frozen bloodworms (for the smaller ones), Hikari sinking carnivore pellets, Hikari carnivore sticks, earthworms (appropriately cut to size), and the occasional feeder fish.
Bichirs (and their close relative the reed or rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) are very easy to take care of. They are quite tolerant of water conditions and will eat almost any meaty food. I feed mine a diet of frozen silversides, frozen beef heart, frozen and freeze-dried shrimp, frozen bloodworms (for the smaller ones), Hikari sinking carnivore pellets, Hikari carnivore sticks, earthworms (appropriately cut to size), and the occasional feeder fish.
i have the p. senegalus (about 9 in) and the p. palmas polli... i think (about 7.5 in). they are both in a 55 gal tank. i know its kinda small. i usually feed them either tuna or marlin cut in small pieces. they usually sell these sashimi trays for about 3 bucks so a tray would last about 3 weeks. they usually hide in the 2 caves i made for them. the p. senegalus is usually more active out of the two.
I also have two of these amazing fish. However, I bought one about 3 years ago from a pet store calling it a "Polypalmus fish", which I am not positive now that it is a true Palmus, or if it is a sub species. I'm not overly familiar with their background, but was enthralled with the fish. Originally he(?) was in a 30 gallon, but is now in a 55. The other I think is a Senegalis (I know it aint spelled right LoL), but I bought it at PetSmart under the guise of "dinosaur eel". I knew it was a relative of the one that I've got, but the coloring is different, however that may be due to age.
The older one is probably 3 and a half years old, the other is not quite a year yet, though they are getting close in size.
Here is a picture of the older one. He is about 7 inches long. My digicam is charging, once it does, I'm going to try to get a picture of the younger one (about 4 inches long). Hopefully we can correctly identify them?
Thanks!
Emms
The older one is probably 3 and a half years old, the other is not quite a year yet, though they are getting close in size.
Here is a picture of the older one. He is about 7 inches long. My digicam is charging, once it does, I'm going to try to get a picture of the younger one (about 4 inches long). Hopefully we can correctly identify them?
Thanks!
Emms
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RainBowCharmer...
The fish in your picture is a VERY nice-looking Polypterus senegalus. When they're still babies, P. senegalus have a pattern of three horizontal stripes like this:
I bought the one in the picture above as a 'Dinosaur Eel' from PetSmart earlier in the summer for $4.99 (along with 4 others....I recognized them immediately as Polypterus).
As they get older they lose the stripes and take on a uniform brown to grey dorsal color. Here's the same fish after a few months of growth:
Polypterus palmas palmas and Polypterus palmas polli have distinctive patterns that immediately distinguish them from Polypterus senegalus.
Hope this helps!
The fish in your picture is a VERY nice-looking Polypterus senegalus. When they're still babies, P. senegalus have a pattern of three horizontal stripes like this:
I bought the one in the picture above as a 'Dinosaur Eel' from PetSmart earlier in the summer for $4.99 (along with 4 others....I recognized them immediately as Polypterus).
As they get older they lose the stripes and take on a uniform brown to grey dorsal color. Here's the same fish after a few months of growth:
Polypterus palmas palmas and Polypterus palmas polli have distinctive patterns that immediately distinguish them from Polypterus senegalus.
Hope this helps!
Yup - both are most definitely the Senegalus then. The younger one that I've got looks just like the younger one in your picture.
I'm a little irritated with my digicam as all my pics are coming out blurry today.
I'm going to have to work on this - any suggestions?
Can't get them looking anything but grainy and blurry. Blech.
The older one has pretty much stopped growing - have not seen a change in his size in quite a while - maybe 6 months? Will he(?) eventually grow more? Or will he just be a small Senegalus?
Emms
I'm a little irritated with my digicam as all my pics are coming out blurry today.
I'm going to have to work on this - any suggestions?
Can't get them looking anything but grainy and blurry. Blech.
The older one has pretty much stopped growing - have not seen a change in his size in quite a while - maybe 6 months? Will he(?) eventually grow more? Or will he just be a small Senegalus?
Emms
RainBowCharmer....
I use a FujiFilm FinePix S3000 camera (not top of the line by any means) on the 2 megapixel setting with macro and flash. Most of the time I let the camera just stay on autofocus and autoexposure and concentrate on composing the picture.
Your P. senegalus will continue to grow, though it is probably past its major growth stage. This species eventually gets to about 12 inches in length. They go through a growth spurt when they are young and then slow down as they near their mature size.
I use a FujiFilm FinePix S3000 camera (not top of the line by any means) on the 2 megapixel setting with macro and flash. Most of the time I let the camera just stay on autofocus and autoexposure and concentrate on composing the picture.
Your P. senegalus will continue to grow, though it is probably past its major growth stage. This species eventually gets to about 12 inches in length. They go through a growth spurt when they are young and then slow down as they near their mature size.
Are you using the macro setting and putting the flash on auto? The only other thing you have to be careful of is camera shake but the flash usually takes care of that. You might consider a tripod if you find it tough to hold the camera steady.
BTW....I really like the S3000. I used to use an old 35mm Nikon F3 or my old Mamiya 645 to take fish pictures but I was never as pleased with the way they turned out as I am with the pictures I've taken with the Fuji.
BTW....I really like the S3000. I used to use an old 35mm Nikon F3 or my old Mamiya 645 to take fish pictures but I was never as pleased with the way they turned out as I am with the pictures I've taken with the Fuji.
Rokl33t....
There is some resemblance between Polypterids and snakeheads but it is absolutely superficial. The most obvious difference is in the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin of the snakeheads is one long fin that extends quite a distance along the fish's back. All of the Polypterids have separate dorsal 'finlets' (their genus name means 'many fins'). The pectoral (side) fins are also quite different...the snakeheads having typical fish-like pectorals while those on the Polypterids have fleshy 'lobes' at the base of these fins. They are NOT, however, closely related to the true lobe-finned fishes like the Coelacanth (Latimeria).
There are other significant but less noticeable differences including the type of scales, the structure of the tail, the structure of the intestines, etc.
Hope this helps!
There is some resemblance between Polypterids and snakeheads but it is absolutely superficial. The most obvious difference is in the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin of the snakeheads is one long fin that extends quite a distance along the fish's back. All of the Polypterids have separate dorsal 'finlets' (their genus name means 'many fins'). The pectoral (side) fins are also quite different...the snakeheads having typical fish-like pectorals while those on the Polypterids have fleshy 'lobes' at the base of these fins. They are NOT, however, closely related to the true lobe-finned fishes like the Coelacanth (Latimeria).
There are other significant but less noticeable differences including the type of scales, the structure of the tail, the structure of the intestines, etc.
Hope this helps!
