Senegal bichir

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep one on its own along the bottom of a tank of at least 540 liters, since they are solitary and spend their time cruising the substrate by smell. They are mostly peaceful toward fish too large to eat, but they are predators that will swallow any tankmate that fits in the mouth, so pick robust companions of similar or larger size. Hold the water at 24 to 28 C with a pH between 6.2 and 7.8. They are nocturnal with poor eyesight, so feed after lights out with meaty foods like worms, prawns, mussel, and sinking carnivore pellets, and drop food close to them so faster tankmates do not steal it all.

In the wild

Senegal bichirs come from slow rivers, floodplains, and swamps across West and Central Africa, often in warm, oxygen-poor water where they gulp air at the surface. Give them a long tank of at least 540 liters with soft sand substrate they can root through and several caves or pieces of driftwood to hide under during the day. Because they breathe air through a primitive lung, leave open space at the top so they can reach the surface without obstruction, since blocking that access can drown them. Keep the water warm, between 24 and 28 C, with a pH from 6.2 to 7.8.

Good to know

This is a member of the family Polypteridae, an ancient lineage of ray-finned fish, reaching around 35 cm as an adult. Breeding in the home aquarium is hard, with eggs scattered among plants and no parental care, so almost all fish in the trade are either wild caught or commercially raised. They are very hardy and long-lived, often reaching 10 to 20 years in good conditions.

Did you know

Bichirs are escape artists and will push through any gap, so the tank needs a very tight, fully weighted lid. They are strong enough to leave the water for a while, using that lung to breathe air, and a determined fish can travel across damp surfaces, which is exactly how they end up on the floor overnight.

Related species

• 

  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)
• 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)