senegal bichir+2 4

Question
QUESTION: i hav a 29 gal. w/ med.(inbetween river rocks and and pea gravel)size substrate and 2 4" firemouth chiclids i feed them 2 cubes of froven brine shrimp once a day and i was hoping to get a senegal bichir to live w/ them

ANSWER: Hi Michael,
The Senegal bichir should be able to live peacefully with the firemouths. Firemouths are not considered to be very aggressive and I doubt they'd bother another fish that doesn't resemble their own kind. Just with Senegal bichirs, avoid aggressive tankmates.

The tank will be quite well-stocked with two Firemouths and a Senegal bichir that typically grows to about a foot. Even though this is a slender fish, it would be best if you could upgrade in the future to a larger tank when he gets too large.

Also, if you aren't already, I would try to give your firemouths more than just brine shrimp. Although brine shrimp is an excellent supplement, a high-quality cichlid pellet or flake would be much better for them nutrition-wise.

Best of luck!
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok thank you very much, but i was wondering if he/she would (when bigger)would be happy in an uninhabited 29 gal.
         ===========
by the way= i'm feeding the Tetra flake for color

Answer
Hey Michael!

The Bichir would probably be just fine in a 29 gallon, because luckily their slender bodies make it not too difficult to live in smaller tanks when they grow large. But it is better for the tank's width (front panel to back panel) to be wider than the fish is long. This can be a bit difficult when a standard 29-gallon aquarium has almost the same width as a 55-gallon tank. (The 55-gallon has just about 1/2" extra width)

Fortunately Bichirs usually get to around 10 inches on average and they shouldn't grow too terribly fast that you'd need a big tank right away.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~