West African Bichir

Care at a glance

Overview

The West African bichir is a hardy, slow-moving, night-active predator that patrols the bottom and shelters under wood and caves during the day. It is generally peaceful but will eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow, so keep it with calm tankmates of similar size. Feed meaty foods such as earthworms, prawns, mussel, and sinking pellets in the evening. Give it a soft substrate it will not scrape against, plenty of cover, and a tight lid, since bichirs climb and jump. This fish needs a tank of at least 200 liters.

In the wild

Polypterus retropinnis comes from West and Central Africa, including the Congo basin, where it lives over soft bottoms in slow rivers, backwaters, and swampy margins that are often warm and low in oxygen. Recreate this with fine sand, driftwood and rock for shelter, and gentle flow, leaving air above the surface for it to breathe. Keep the temperature between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius and the pH anywhere from about 6 to 8.

Good to know

The West African bichir belongs to Polypteridae, one of the oldest surviving families of ray-finned fish, and reaches around 35 centimeters, making it one of the smaller bichirs. It has thick, armored ganoid scales, lobe-like pectoral fins, and a row of finlets along the back instead of a single dorsal fin. Its swim bladder works as a pair of lungs, so it breathes air and can endure oxygen-poor water. Breeding in aquariums is rarely documented.

Did you know

Bichirs are sometimes called living fossils, with a body plan little changed since the age of the dinosaurs. Their fleshy, lobed pectoral fins and paired, lung-like swim bladders recall the ancient fish that first began to venture onto land.

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)

• 

  Senegal bichir

  Polypterus senegalus

  13.8 in (35 cm)143 gal (540 L)75–82°F (24–28°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)