Polypterus senegalus senegalus: (Top) A rare platinum Senegal bichir, (Above) Dinnertime.These prehistoric looking fish are a unique addition to your collection, i would say a unique addition to your tank but if you like how your tank is now then forget out it, they'll eat every fish in there. They will eat anything dead or alive that will fit ion it's mouth, however they are slow "swimmers", they don't really swim, they appear to walk across the bottom of your tank.
They can grow up to 50cm (20 inches... but with an average or about 12 inches in an appropriate tank)
They are a nocturnal bottom dweller and do most of the food foraging at night. They are Carnivorous, and they will happily munch on earthworms, tubifex worms and fish flesh cut into strips. The tank needs be large and not too bright, with plenty of hiding places either as rockwork or driftwood. Make sure if your keeping more than one that each fish has its own place to hide. They can be territorial to each other, but if they have their own space this will be minimized. They can be kept with other medium to large sized non aggressive fish. They have a reputation as being great escape artists and can move on land for short lengths, so take proper precautions with your tank cover. They prefer a pH of 6 to 7.5 and temps around 25-28 degrees but have been know to adapt to almost any conditions.
There are many types of Bichirs and i have discussed the most commonly found variant in Australia, here is a list of the different variants and their max sizes in the wild.
Species and sizes
maximum known sizes often smaller in captivityP. palmas palmas ('palmas' bichir)- 13"
P. palmas polli ('marbled bichir)- 14"
P. palmas buettikoferi ('buettikoferi' bichir)- 13"
P. ornatipinnis ('ornate' bichir)- 27"
P. delhezi ('armoured' or 'delhez's' bichir)- 14"
P. endlicheri endlicheri ('saddled' or 'red' bichir)- 32", possibly more
P. endlicheri congicus ('giant' or 'congo' bichir)- 39"
P. senegalus senegalus ('Senegal' or 'Cuiver's' bichir)- 12"
P. senegalus meridionalis- 12"
P. weeksi ('week's' bichir)- 20"
P. lapradei ('Lapradei' bichir)- 24"
P. retropinnis retropinnis ('retropinnis' bichir)- 14"
P. retropinnis lowei ('Lowe's' bichir)- 12"
E. calabaricus ('Ropefish')- 15"-30"
Sourced from
http://aquaticpredators.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=205
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