Barred bichir

Care at a glance

Overview

The barred bichir is a hardy, slow-moving predator that cruises the bottom and shelters under wood and caves. It is generally peaceful but will eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow, so keep it with robust tankmates of similar size. Feed meaty foods such as earthworms, prawns, mussel, and sinking pellets, offered in the evening when it is most active. Provide a soft substrate, plenty of cover, and a tight lid, since bichirs will try to leave the tank. Give it a tank of at least 200 liters.

In the wild

Polypterus delhezi comes from the Congo River basin in central Africa, living over soft bottoms in slow rivers, backwaters, and floodplains. It tolerates warm, oxygen-poor water thanks to its ability to breathe air. Recreate its home with a sandy or fine substrate, driftwood and rock for cover, and gentle flow. Keep the temperature between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius and the pH anywhere from about 6 to 8.

Good to know

The barred bichir belongs to Polypteridae, an ancient family of ray-finned fish, and reaches around 35 centimeters. Bichirs have thick, armored ganoid scales, lobe-like pectoral fins, and a row of small finlets along the back in place of a single dorsal fin. Their swim bladder is divided into paired lungs, so they breathe atmospheric air and can survive in stagnant water, though they may drown if denied access to the surface. Aquarium spawning is rarely recorded.

Did you know

Bichirs are living relics with paired, lung-like swim bladders that let them breathe air. A barred bichir kept in water it cannot surface from may actually drown, since it depends on gulping air from above.

Related species

• 

  Marbled bichir

  Polypterus palmas

  13.8 in (35 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Senegal bichir

  Polypterus senegalus

  13.8 in (35 cm)143 gal (540 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• West African Bichir

  Polypterus retropinnis

  13.8 in (35 cm)53 gal (200 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)

• 

  Ornate bichir

  Polypterus ornatipinnis

  21.7 in (55 cm)172 gal (650 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)

• 

  Saddled bichir

  Polypterus endlicherii

  25.6 in (65 cm)151 gal (570 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)

• 

  Nile bichir

  Polypterus bichir

  27.6 in (70 cm)185 gal (700 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)