# Dinosaur Eel care.



## Mark1988 (Jan 9, 2011)

Saw a very small Bichir (Polypterus Senegalus) at the LFS earlier. Given how big they get, I think it would be cool to get one while it's young and watch it grow. I have a few questions about environment and care...

-Would they dig up/destroy live plants?
-Do they prefer a finer substrate like sand or would standard gravel be ok?
-I read somewhere that they need a long shallow tank. Does this mean they need surface air?
-How big do they typically get, and what's a good tank size for 'em? I heard 18" somewhere and 3 feet somewhere else.
-And finally how hardy are they? Given my career, there may be times when I have to deploy for a bit and leave the tanks in the care of my wife. She knows what she's doing for the most part but there's a big difference between keeping Platys and Barbs and something that's potentially sensitive to slight environment disruptions.

Quick forum search didn't really come up with much, and Google yielded some good info but I wanna see what you guys think too.


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## shenzhenluohan (Jan 6, 2011)

Sens are great fish and very easy to care for. They can handle bad water conditions for quite a long period of time. They are very gentle with plants. Personally the largest one I've seen has been about 15", Some other polypterus species such as Endliis and ornates can reach up to 3'. I've never had problems with tank depths but I wouldn't suggest putting them in a tank deeper than 30" for young Sens simply because although they have gills, they do like to gulp surface air as well (they have something similar to the labrynth lung found in Gouramis). I prefer fine substrate because I have heard of bichirs taking in stones while feeding and causing a blockage in their digestive tract. The only other important point I can offer is make sure your lid is tight fitting as these guys are escape masters. (alternatively lower your tank water a couple inches to prevent escape)
Here is a link with some great info:
Senegal Bichir - Polypterus Senegalus


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## Mark1988 (Jan 9, 2011)

Good info, and great link. Thank you kindly!

Would you happen to know if they will mess with/dig up live plants. I put live plants in a cichlid tank one time and they pulled everything out.


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## mDust (Jan 8, 2011)

Mark1988 said:


> Would you happen to know if they will mess with/dig up live plants. I put live plants in a cichlid tank one time and they pulled everything out.





shenzhenluohan said:


> They are very gentle with plants.


/wink

That is a really cool addition to a tank!


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## shenzhenluohan (Jan 6, 2011)

I have pics of sens sitting on Ludweiga without messing anything up!


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## Mark1988 (Jan 9, 2011)

Haha thanks, don't know how I missed that. All this staying up till the wee hours of the night to lurk fish forums is effecting my brain.


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## ecl (Dec 29, 2010)

After seeing one at the lfs my wife wanted one so we picked one up. I can attest to how hardy they are, it survive a 4 hour trip home(we were visiting her parents at the time). He has since moved 2 other times including another 4hour trip, and even jumped out of the tank once, still trying to figure out how. He hasn't once messed with our plants but we just have a few plastic ones. He is by far the coolest fish in tank, specially when he eats. We have regular aquarium gravel and he seems to like it, he moves it around to make his home under and around a big rock.


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