Saddled bichir

Care at a glance

Overview

One of the larger bichirs, this fish reaches about 60 to 65 cm and needs at least 570 litres with a long footprint and a very tight lid, as bichirs escape through small gaps. Keep it at 25 to 29 C and pH 6.5 to 7.5. It is not aggressive toward fish too big to swallow, but will eat anything that fits in its mouth, so choose large tankmates. Feed meaty foods such as prawns, earthworms, mussel and sinking pellets.

In the wild

The saddled bichir is a heavy, eel-like predator with a row of small dorsal finlets and thick armoured scales. It has a blunt jaw with the lower lip projecting, and a series of dark saddle-like bars over a yellowish body. It hunts along the bottom by scent at night.

Good to know

Polypterus endlicherii is a member of the ancient family Polypteridae, ray-finned fish whose lineage predates most modern groups. Bichirs have paired lungs and can breathe air, surviving in low-oxygen water and out of water for short periods. Larvae hatch with feathery external gills like a newt.

Did you know

Bichirs can survive out of water for hours in damp conditions by breathing air, and have been known to travel between pools across wet ground.

Related species

• 

  Nile bichir

  Polypterus bichir

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

• 

  Ornate bichir

  Polypterus ornatipinnis

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