Ornate bichir

Question
Hi. I've had my bichir for about 2 years now. He lives in a 33 gal tank by himself.  I have plants and a bubbler in the tank. I feed him feeder fish every month and blood worms on a daily basis.

He used to live with a African tetra and they got along real well. Then the tetra died of old age (8yrs). I've tried to put other fish in with him but he's eaten them all.

My questions are: Is this tank big enough for him to live out his life? And if so, what can I put in there with him? I have a fluval 206 filter system for the tank but I get algae all the time, is there something else I should be doing? I do a water change mostly every two weeks.
Thanks, Bill

Answer
Hi Bill

Unfortunately a 33 gallon tank is not big enough for an Ornate Bichir. These guys can grow up to 25" in length. In aquariums, they tend to grow up to 18". I would definitely consider putting him in a larger tank of at least 120 gallons. Keeping him in a 33 gallon will stunt his growth and shorten his life span considerably.

The only way to control algae is by cleaning it, or investing in an algae eater such as a large Pleco.

Fish that will go with your Bichir are pretty much any peaceful fish that is large enough not to be food. Tank mates should be at least 1/2 the size of the Bichir.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard