thekoimaiden

(sorry accidentally had to split this in 3.)
MFK.. there's a lot of good stuff on there so go through it for sure. I'm not sure if there's a lot of biotope knowledge though if that's what you need. Discus people on there may be more sane than the bichir keepers. A lot of MFK is just stuffing as many fish as you can into a tank with crazy filtration as justification. The comfort of the fish is often ignored. I looked through there and there's good info on stuff such as feeding. Just if you start posting there be sure you can just.. overlook.. the people that overstock their tanks like crazy.

Well.. they are on AB.. But everything on AB is USA only shipping.
55 gallons for a senegal should actually be fine, but those tanks are only 12" wide so that can be a problem for a full grown fish. I think a smaller, but wider tank is fine too.

So I asked the LFS and it looks like the only bichir they can get in are albino senegals and regular senegals. :(
I'll double check about the long fins. But blah, what a disappointment. I was told not to keep 2 species in such a small tank, but still a long finned one would be nice. Still, better than nothing since our Petsmart doesn't carry them.

I'm doing a reseal on the tank, and I warn you, never do it.. I spent like 5 hours sitting inside the fish tank scraping off old silicone. At first, I figured it wasn't worth it. But then I remembered I'm an unemployed teenager and don't have any other choice if I want big fish.

Also, I've realized, looking at all the MFK bare, decorless, overstuffed tanks, that my dream is to provide natural biotopes for monster fish.
That'll go over well. I should just work at a zoo.

Hehe. Thanks! :D

Fish mafia? Oh yea.

Haha, fish food recipes. I know a lot of people do fish food for goldfish, right?

Maybe I'll have some recipes posted some day! ;)

Hah, my fish store used to just tell me "no" if I asked about the fish. Then I got an explanation. Now I've got my name in a book and all the fish I want ordered, which they'll order whenever they become available. Took some time to "get in" but I feel pretty special now!

I used to think my LFS sucked.. but it's like the best store ever! :p

Yea, I'll stay away from plant matter, minus for the cichlids and congo tetra. I may play around with food for them, considering I've actually found recipes for cichlid foods.

I am going to tomorrow. (:

Edit: They are up now! In my fishy album.

She's acting fine, a lot more active. She started getting a little lethargic in that smaller tank, which is why I hurried and got this one. Now it's fixed

Home made food.. The current plan is fish fillets, probably pollock mostly. I read to avoid oily fish such as salmon (which is the first fish in the omega one food). Pollock, haddock and cod are best, of which pollock is the most affordable. After that, prawns (with shells), and mussels. Frozen whole silversides from a pet store. Mealworms as well as earthworms, maybe some other worm things that are sold for lizards. (Bugs for the butterfly fish too). From my research it seems bichir eat a lot of insects in the wild so I think it's a good idea.
I'm debating whether or not to include carrots/peas. I PMd BettaBaby about it, she's an aquatic nutritionist. Every single commercial food seems to have some plant matter, but I'm curious if I can omit it since these fish are 100% predators. Waiting on that answer still.
Going to try storing the food prepared in ice cube trays. Preparation is still a mystery to me though. xD