IN PROGRESS
Senegal Bichir:
Common name(s)- Common Bichir, Dinosaur Eel, Dragon Eel, Senegal Bichir, Cuvier's Bichir, Bichir.
Scientific Name- Polypterus senegalus
Native geographical area-
Native habitat-
Maximum Size- 10-14"
Minimum Aquarium Size- 40 gallons, bigger the better. 65 gallons and around are much better in long term care. Breeder tanks over show tanks!
Natural & Captive Diet- Almost strictly carnivorous. Krill, pellets, shrimp, frozen and live fish, fillets, crab, mussel, cichlid pellets, and the like are all excepted.
Most Senegal bichirs eat just about anything meaty.
Tank zone- ( top, upper, middle, lower, bottom, everywhere )- Mostly lays on the bottom of the tank, but does swim at the surface and the middle of the
water column at times. Love floating at the top in plants.
Temperament & compatibility- Very peaceful, leaves most fish alone as long as they aren't too small, and co-exists with a large variety of fish. Never realy seems to get picked on by anything.
Hardness range-__
Optimal hardness-__
pH range-6.5-7.5
Optimal ph-7.0
Temperature range-60-82
Optimal temperature-78
Salinity range-1.000-1.005
Optimal salinity-1.000
Photoperiod- 8-14 hours. Not picky.
Seasonal changes critical? No
Notable sensitivites-
Hardiness & Lifespan- One of the hardiest fish you will ever keep. They can breathe air due to the specialized air bladder, so they can take a lot of abuse. I had one jump out of a tank, hit cement, roll over in dirt, etc. and almost completely dry out- yet a week later it was back to normal after being placed in water. Handle high ammonia levels, low oxygen levels, etc. but still should not be subjected to it. As for the lifespan, there is no set limit, but they expect that they can definitely go past 40 years.
Physical description- There are two main variants: normal and albino. With a few other "rarer" types being the Longfin Senegal, and Platinum Senegals (exclusively a white/silver color).
Albino:
Normal:
Activity peak- Mostly Diurnal, hunts at night.
Habits-
Spawning notes- Males are often identified by "flipping their cup" (large fleshy back fin turns inwards) as they reach around 6-7 inches. This same fin is usually thicker in full grown males than females. Spawning is rarely done- even so, success is rarely achieved. In most scenarios, the female will lay a clutch of unfertilized eggs.
Other notes-
