bichir fish

Question
QUESTION: I just bought a little baby bichir fish and I was wondering what was the best food to buy the little guy.  The man at the pet store told me to buy sinking pellets and he isn't into them at all. He is trying really hard to eat the guppies in my tank but right now they are all to large for him.  He is really active, but I just want to make sure that he is getting enough to eat.  I have done research and some say that beef heart/hamburger is the way or bloodworms but he is pretty small and I want to make sure that he gets what he need to get really big.  I was going to try some shrimp for him but am worried that it may make him sick.

ANSWER: Hi,
Birchirs are some of the only "living fossils" (200 million years with virtually no change) for a reason. They are adaptive. My birchir senegalus is about 8" long and I recently discovered he ate one of my 6" cichlids. This may sound ridiculous, but it's true. They can even detach their lower jaw to swallow larger items of prey.

They will eat literally any meat you through at them if they are hungry. Don't worry.

If your worried about shrimp, de shell it and cut it into little pieces. Hope this helps.

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QUESTION: Thanks you.  He is my new baby and I was worried about him.  Should the shrimp be raw or can I thaw out cooked frozen shrimp and cut it up for him tonight?  Thank you again.

Answer
Hi,
Glad to help. I recommend thawed but raw, deshelled, and in bite sized pieces even though he'd try to eat the whole thing if you let him. One thing I forgot to mention was make sure the shrimp are not seasoned or have preservatives. They can stunt a fishes growth.

Bichirs are a lot of fun. I can tell you are going to take very good care of him, and with good care he may be around for about 8 more years, or even longer.