Bichirs in 15 gallons?

[littlewangzfan]

Hi all,

Can i put my 2 ornates, 3 sens (approx. 7 in.) and a 3 in. dat in a 15 gal to grow out of? They're in a 120g community growout right now but they cannot compete with the others during feeding time. If so, how long or up to what size can I keep them there? Thanks.

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

too small for a 7" IMO

 

[littlewangzfan]

Thanks Spirit. What size would you recommend for a growout? I just want to make sure that they get their fair share of food. I tried the clear tube way of feeding but the others still manage to grab the food from them.

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

a 50 minimum for that stock, and for growout only

 

[spwd]

I agree at least a 50 preferably bigger,then you can grow them bigger before you put them in the 120,which hopefully you will be upgrading that too.


Steve

 

[Darth Scohin]

Ditto 50gal minimum for growout of polys, and with Ornates i'd say at least a 180gal minimum full tank

 

[ToyotaNation]

try feeding maybe an hour or two after lights are off. i do that with my ornates. even my shy ornate(the biggest fish in the tank) prefers to eat at night and my cichlids are either sleeping or sluggish so they really only compete with them eachother. if you are feeding self prep foods like shrimp and talapia and your polys mouths are alot bigger than the other fishes mouths just make the pieces a little bigger so the other fish cant eat it and give up(mine do atleast) but not too big where they have trouble swallowing food. good luck!

 

[littlewangzfan]

try feeding maybe an hour or two after lights are off. i do that with my ornates. even my shy ornate(the biggest fish in the tank) prefers to eat at night and my cichlids are either sleeping or sluggish so they really only compete with them eachother. if you are feeding self prep foods like shrimp and talapia and your polys mouths are alot bigger than the other fishes mouths just make the pieces a little bigger so the other fish cant eat it and give up(mine do atleast) but not too big where they have trouble swallowing food. good luck!

This method I have to try. Forgot to mention, the main culprits are silver dollars. Everybody knows their reputation when it comes to eating. Their funny, will try anything just to fit the food in their small mouths. And I will definitely upgrade the tank when the time comes.