Bichir Playing with Food

[Mokles]

Hello I am new to this website and I heard its pretty valid.
I have a 55 gallon tank with a 4 inch senegal bichir. I am in the process of setting up a "gut loader" tank in which I plan to quarantine minnows that I will buy in bulk from my pet store. I dont want my bichir to starve so I have a small comet gold fish sitting there which is about an inch. I did feed it a small minnow yesterday which it successfully ate. However today I realized that my bichir has been chasing the comet around all day. He doesnt seem committed in eating the comet. Any how, I came back after several hours to find the comet with a missing tail and some nipped fins. One side of its face was torn off.

So the main concern I have is whether my Bichir plans to eat it piece by piece or not. I am also concerned whether I should just throw away the comet. The comet is in critical condition and is swimming and sometimes drifitng in the surface. Will this injured comet release bacteria into my aquarium? Or does it become a hazard only after it is completely dead. Should I just leave the comet over-night and see in the morning whether it is eaten or dead. Please give me some suggestions on what I should do in order to make sure I dont jepordize the cycle of my tank.

 

[fishhead0103666]

Have you tried feeding him pellets or tilapia and he just won't eat them?
Can't help with the goldfish.

 

[Mokles]

Have you tried feeding him pellets or tilapia and he just won't eat them?
Can't help with the goldfish.

Hey, No i did not give him any pellet or flake food so far, the only thing I gave him was a minnow.

 

[fishhead0103666]

I'll leave the comet issue to the other people.
Instead of purchasing rosie red minnows or whatever you were planning to buy you could get a batch of guppies and breed them so you can have your own supply of breeding live food.
As for pellets or tilapia I doubt he'd have an issue with eating them. Pellete would be a good staple food and guppies would be a good treat.

 

[kno4te]

Would try a sinking pellet or cut up fish. It’ll eat it for sure.

Stressed feeders can become a host for opportunistic bugs. So best to remove it. Feed only prepared foods.

 

[Mokles]

thank you all. I will take eveyones advice.
I just witnessed the bichir trying to tear up the comet. Apparently the bicher's mouth is to small to swallow the comet head first. It struggles with it for quite a while. Then it let it out. The comet's gills were still moving but its entire body was basically handicapped. I just picked it out and disposed of it.

And yes, I will feed it some type of carnivore pellets and wait for it to put on a few inches. I will then convert it to live food from my future homemade feeder fish breeder.

Again, thank you all for your advice. Thank you and have a blessed day.

 

[fishhead0103666]

May I ask why you wish to convert it to live food only? I see you're 19 so I believe you may be wanting to have him eat live food for the cool factor but correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[thefredpit]

thank you all. I will take eveyones advice.
I just witnessed the bichir trying to tear up the comet. Apparently the bicher's mouth is to small to swallow the comet head first. It struggles with it for quite a while. Then it let it out. The comet's gills were still moving but its entire body was basically handicapped. I just picked it out and disposed of it.

And yes, I will feed it some type of carnivore pellets and wait for it to put on a few inches. I will then convert it to live food from my future homemade feeder fish breeder.

Again, thank you all for your advice. Thank you and have a blessed day.

the best pellets I have found for little bichirs is Hikari Carnivore. But if you want growth mix in tilapia it is bichir miracle grow. Personally I wouldn't do only live feeding because sometimes you may run out of feeders and he will get aggressive to everything(experience speaking). I would do livebearers for feeders personally

 

[Mokles]

May I ask why you wish to convert it to live food only? I see you're 19 so I believe you may be wanting to have him eat live food for the cool factor but correct me if I'm wrong.

yes, I enjoy watching them live feed, plus it feels more natural to me. I want to mimick their natural scene as much as possible, but if that means risking their health and the tank's well being, then na.

 

[Mokles]

My 4 inch bichir is now in a 55 gallon tank. The tank has gravel substrate and plenty of driftwood. The bichir is always running around the tank and occasional rests at the bottom. Sometimes it rests on my powerhead.

With that being said, what type of carnivore pellets would be best. Floating or sinking? Does it even matter? And would my bichir be able to identify the pellets as food? Is there a specific brand or type that is irresistible to most or all baby bichirs. I want to know from someone who has experience with bichirs perferably. I feel that if I have sinking pellets my small bichir wouldnt find it in such a big tank.