Polypterus pen pal

[Wannabe Poly Guy]

7 years ago I saw a polypterus for the first time and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I’m happy to announce that I’m finally pulling the trigger on my dream tank. Here is a basic run down of my plan
First set up my 75 gallon (48x18”) footprint with a 40 gallon diy sump system. Stock list will include:
P. Del x1
P.polli x1
P. Senegal long fin x1
Leopard ctenepoma x1
And possibly a few Congo tetras

I am actively hunting for a 180 gallon (72x24”) footprint which I will also build a sump system for. At that point my polypterus and ctenepoma will be moved to the 180 and my 75 will serve as a grow out for future additions for the 180.
I plan to post more threads in the future throughout this process, but I’m hoping to find a “polypterus pen pal” who has a lot of first hand knowledge with these fish (especially the UJs). I’m very excited to be a new member of this group thank you all!

 

[tlindsey]

7 years ago I saw a polypterus for the first time and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I’m happy to announce that I’m finally pulling the trigger on my dream tank. Here is a basic run down of my plan
First set up my 75 gallon (48x18”) footprint with a 40 gallon diy sump system. Stock list will include:
P. Del x1
P.polli x1
P. Senegal long fin x1
Leopard ctenepoma x1
And possibly a few Congo tetras

I am actively hunting for a 180 gallon (72x24”) footprint which I will also build a sump system for. At that point my polypterus and ctenepoma will be moved to the 180 and my 75 will serve as a grow out for future additions for the 180.
I plan to post more threads in the future throughout this process, but I’m hoping to find a “polypterus pen pal” who has a lot of first hand knowledge with these fish (especially the UJs). I’m very excited to be a new member of this group thank you all!

Welcome aboard
There are a few members who keep Polypterus and I have kept a few myself. My favorite are Senegal bichir although I have a couple of lower jaw species in a 180gal

 

[Wannabe Poly Guy]

Welcome aboard
There are a few members who keep Polypterus and I have kept a few myself. My favorite are Senegal bichir although I have a couple of lower jaw species in a 180gal

Welcome aboard
There are a few members who keep Polypterus and I have kept a few myself. My favorite are Senegal bichir although I have a couple of lower jaw species in a 180gal

Thank you for the quick reply! My hope for my 180 is that I could get some of the bigger UJ species but honestly I’m just as pumped for my “mini monster” 75. I do like the lower jaws too especially the endlis

 

[tlindsey]

bigger UJ

Ornate are cool had one grow to 17 inches.

 

[Wannabe Poly Guy]

Ornate are cool had one grow to 17 inches.

Are they as much of a bully as I keep hearing?

 

[tlindsey]

Are they as much of a bully as I keep hearing?

Out of the 3 I have had 1 was territorial only allowed a purple wolfish to share it's space.

 

[Wannabe Poly Guy]

Out of the 3 I have had 1 was territorial only allowed a purple wolfish to share it's space.

An ornate will likely be a contender for my 180 then. I never thought I wanted one until I saw a 7 inch female at the lfs the other day. In person experiences put the fish on a whole other level

 

[SpecialKay]

If you're looking for a big upper jaw species, check out the Turkana Senegals. It feels like they're Senegal in name only; different head shape, different coloration (almost black with green flecks), hyper-active, and super-sized (up to 20 inches)

 

[Wannabe Poly Guy]

If you're looking for a big upper jaw species, check out the Turkana Senegals. It feels like they're Senegal in name only; different head shape, different coloration (almost black with green flecks), hyper-active, and super-sized (up to 20 inches)

I’ll definitely keep those in mind. Are they difficult to come by?

 

[SpecialKay]

I’ll definitely keep those in mind. Are they difficult to come by?

Somewhat, due where they're from (lake Turkana in Kenya). The area is pretty remote, and lacking in facilities for easy transport/travel. There's also some worry about getting caught in potential tribal disputes. This makes them a bit challenging to gather.

That said, they do appear occasionally. I got mine from dnz03dw off eBay. I think waterfront slc has some ATM too.