What fish can live with a Bichir?

Bichir Tank Mates

• Oscar fish.
• Flowerhorn cichlids.
• African knife.
• Clown Loaches.
• Jack Dempsey fish.
• Silver Dollar fish.

How many species of Bichir are there?

13
There are only 13 recognized bichir species and many are popular as aquarium pets.

Are Bichirs endangered?

Not extinct
Bichir/Extinction status
Bichir Distribution, Population, and Habitat These fish are incredibly common and are listed as either not extinct or of least concern. Although they can live in any body of fresh water, the fish prefer muddy and silty environments.

Is Polypterus a living fossil?

Polypterus was discovered, described, and named in 1802 by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. It is a genus of 10 green to yellow-brown species. Some regarded Polypterus as a living fossil, part of the missing link between fishes and amphibians, helping to show how fish fins had evolved to become paired limbs.

Can Bichir live with knife fish?

Black Ghost Knife Fish are excellent tank mates for Bichirs despite being bottom dwellers. They prefer hunting for worms and smaller fish.

What is the smallest Bichir?

Appearance

• The Dinosaur Bichir, also known as the Senegal or the grey Bichir, is among the smallest species (reaching about 14 inches).
• The Ornate Bichir, also known as Polypterus ornatipinnis, has yellow pattern colorings on its back, body, fins and head.

Is Bichir a lungfish?

Unlike most lungfish and tetrapods, their lungs are smooth sacs instead of alveolated tissue. Polypterids are unique in that they breathe using recoil aspiration.

Do bichirs need other bichirs?

Yes, you can! It is best to consider fish that are larger than the size of your dinosaur bichir’s mouth and can hold their own in a tank. Good tankmates include other bichirs, knife fish, oscar fish, Jack Demspey fish, and flowerhorn cichlids.

How old is the Bichir species?

Bichirs are the living remnants of a very old lineage of fishes, which split off from other fish lineages some 400 million years ago. While they mostly live in lakes and rivers, they will sometimes crawl across dry land with their fins.

Do Bichirs have scales?

The body is covered in thick, bonelike, and rhombic (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.

What kind of water does a bichir fish live in?

Bichirs ( Polypterus bichir) are a tropical freshwater fish that have been around for a VERY long time. They make up the Polypteridae family and are mostly found in Northeast Africa throughout the Nile River and its associated tributaries. Bichirs prefer shallow, swampy waters and can thrive in semi-brackish waters as well.

What kind of fish is a bichir from PetSmart?

I just got a Senegal Bichir today from Petsmart. They label it as a Dinosaur Bichir and it was $8. It currently in a 29 gal and Ill eventually move it to a 55 gal that I have empty in my basement. I was trying to figure out what fish I will put in there in the future. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Can a bichir be a full grown angel fish?

Not a problem at all. i have 3 full grown angelfish with big bichirs. Thanks for the replys guys. I just got a Senegal Bichir today from Petsmart. They label it as a Dinosaur Bichir and it was $8. It currently in a 29 gal and Ill eventually move it to a 55 gal that I have empty in my basement.

Where did the Bichir ray finned fish come from?

Bichir belongs to Polypterus genus which means ‘many wings’ and it is truly applicable to the looks of this fish. It is from the family of ray-finned fish which was first seen in the Mesozoic era (approximately 60 million years ago).