Detailed Information About the Bichir Aquarium Fish or Polypterus

---

Back to Page 4

Brief Overview

Like the Plecostomus, the Bichir Aquarium Fish, or polypterus is considered amongst hobbyists to be somewhat of a dinosaur for your fish tank. This marvelous creature looks as if it is a hundred-million years old. Frankly the polypterus really has been the same basic animal for a very, very long time. The Bichir is a larger variety of freshwater tropical fish and thus needs some very attentive care and feeding. Simple flake food will not provide this fish with the sustenance that it needs. The Bichir Aquarium Fish needs Larger foods, like feeder fish can be used to maintain the health of this ancient beast. But, Most Bichir Tropical Fish will take carnivore pellets like Hikari Sinking Carnivore or Massivore Delite. Other meaty foods like shrimp and beef heart will also be taken and are better than feeder fish, and bloodworms are eaten by small Bichirs. It will eat any small fish so good tank mates for this creature are the Congo Tetra, large Angelfish, or some Tiger Barbs.

To watch a Youtube video of this fish click here.

Detailed Wikipedia Information about Polypterus

The bichirs are a family, Polypteridae, of archaic-looking ray-finned fishes, the sole family in the order Polypteriformes.

All species occur in freshwater habitats in tropical Africa and the Nile River system, mainly swampy, shallow floodplains and estuaries.

Physical description

Bichir Aquarium Fish are elongated fishes with a distinctive series of up to fifteen dorsal finlets, instead of a single dorsal fin. Each of these finlets have a sharp spine. The body is covered in thick, bonelike, ganoid scales. Their jaw structure more closely resembles that of the tetrapods than that of the teleost fishes. Bichirs have a number of other primitive characteristics, including fleshy pectoral fins superficially similar to those of lobe-finned fishes. They also have spiracles.

Bichirs have rudimentary lungs, which allow them to obtain oxygen from the air when in poorly oxygenated waters, by swimming quickly to the surface and back to the bottom. They are nocturnal, and feed on small vertebrates, crustaceans, and insects.

Bichirs have a maximum body length of 97 centimetres (3.2 ft), although many species do not exceed 35 centimetres, and in rural captivation rarely exceed 2ft. (1.1 ft).

Relationship to Humans

Bichirs are popular subjects of public and large hobby aquaria. Though predatory, they are otherwise peaceful and relatively nonactive, preferring to lie on the bottom, and make good tankmates with other species that are large enough not to be prey. Some aquarists note that Loricariid catfish may attack bichirs and suck on their skin.

In the aquarium

Adding a polypterus Aquarium Fish to your aquarium is a big decision. First and foremost keep in mind its predatory nature. If you introduce it into a tank with some very common smaller fish, you can kiss your Tetras, Cory's, and Rasboras goodbye. (they may give your Bichir a nice pearly sheen though!)Second they do make a good amount of waste so they should be introduced into a tank of no less than 55 gallons, and should be well filtered. Your Bichir will spend the majority of its time at the bottom of your tank and can, therefore, end up digging up or disrupting your plants. Though the Bichir is a semi-specialized fish to own, if you have the habitat to support it, watching this fish live and grow can be a true joy.

Back to Page 4

Click here to read full Wikipedia Article and get EVEN MORE great information!

Some common Favorites