Ornate Bichir 2"-3" (Polypterus Ornatipinnis)

Common Name: Ornate Bichir

Origin: Central Africa

Max Size: 24 inches

Temperature: 75 to 84 Degrees

PH Level: 6.5 to 7.5

Diet: Carnivore

Temperament: Semi Aggressive

Care Level: Moderate

Note: A good diet for the Ornate Bichir will have a variety of meaty foods including: earthworms, prawns, mussels, raw shrimp and various types of feeder fish like silver sides and lance fish. Some Bichir have been known to accept commercial meaty pellets and wafers, but generally they do best with live or frozen foods. They should generally be fed 1 to 2 times per day an amount of food that they will consume within 5 minutes. When first added to the aquarium, Bichir are more likely to feed with the aquarium lights off or dimmed as they are a nocturnal species. Being a nocturnal species with poor vision, the Ornate Bichir has developed an excellent sense of smell which they use to locate food in low lighting conditions. Feeding them with the aquarium lights off gives them an advantage over tank mates who use eyesight as a primary method of detecting food.