About Senegal Bichirs

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Welcome to the forum!
My biggest is only a 75, and my biggest fish knot a 9 inch leporinus. The site isn’t just for those that currently keep monsters, but also the ones that aspire to and have the bigger is better mentality.
oh I know those ! Saw them couple of times in my LFS's display tanks. Really cool fish imo, gets quite large too !
 
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oh I know those ! Saw them couple of times in my LFS's display tanks. Really cool fish imo, gets quite large too !
They are my favorite freshwater fish. Large(ish) and downright nasty…but so good looking!
 
are they nasty ? I thought they were peaceful community fish
Some species are more mellow, but the most common, the banded leporinus, is a fin nipper (at the least aggressive). They are also incredibly territorial and have them same dominance complex as cichlids. Mine would go head to head against a piranha (and lived to tell about it), he now is with cichlids and is the dominant fish. They also don’t seem to like anything in their size range as they grow (and will shred the fish they don’t like).
Previous ones I had would stake out a territory and kill fish that came close and wouldn’t leave.
 
Some species are more mellow, but the most common, the banded leporinus, is a fin nipper (at the least aggressive). They are also incredibly territorial and have them same dominance complex as cichlids. Mine would go head to head against a piranha (and lived to tell about it), he now is with cichlids and is the dominant fish. They also don’t seem to like anything in their size range as they grow (and will shred the fish they don’t like).
Previous ones I had would stake out a territory and kill fish that came close and wouldn’t leave.
woah...Thats some aggression, guess the species I saw was a more calm one.
 
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woah...Thats some aggression, guess the species I saw was a more calm one.
Juvies aren’t that bad, it’s only when they grow they show their true colors.
They are frequently marketed as a peaceful vegetarian, but (though they like plants) this is not true. They get along with aggressive fish, or smaller peaceful ones that it doesn’t see as a threat, but are overall are very mean.
Juvie:
1644089221598.jpeg
Adult (missing an eye - like I said, head to head with a piranha):
CC6096BC-7B98-41EF-9AA5-B3E4A30DEB71.jpeg
 
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