Ornate bichir

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a big, mostly peaceful predator that's fine kept alone and needs a large tank, on the order of 650 liters for an adult. It lives on the bottom and is most active at night, hunting by smell more than sight. Keep water warm, mid to upper 20s C, with a pH from 6 to 8. Feed meaty foods like whole frozen fish, shrimp, and earthworms, and never house it with anything small enough to swallow.

In the wild

The ornate bichir comes from the Congo basin and nearby waters in central Africa, living in slow rivers, swamps, and floodplains. These are warm, soft to neutral waters with cover and low oxygen in places, which is why the fish gulps air from the surface. A large tank with a soft substrate, hiding spots, and a tight lid suits it. Open swimming space along the bottom matters as it grows.

Good to know

This is one of the bichirs, family Polypteridae, an ancient group of ray-finned fish. It grows large, around 55 to 60 cm, and is a slow grower that can live well over a decade. Bichirs have a pair of lungs and can breathe air directly, an unusual trait among fish. Breeding in home aquariums is rarely recorded.

Did you know

Bichirs have to surface to breathe and will actually drown if they can't reach air. They can also survive out of water for a good while if kept damp, and they're famous escape artists, which is why a tight, weighted lid is not optional with this fish.

Related species

• 

  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)

• 

  Barred bichir

  Polypterus delhezi

  13.8 in (35 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  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)