Freshwater
Gray bichir
Polypterus senegalus
Polypteridae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 70 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 7,228 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Found only hereNative
Lives wild in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo - Kinshasa, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and 13 more countries.
Videos
Senegal Bichir Care Guide - polypterus senegalus - Aquarium Co-Op
Aquarium Co-OpDec 16, 2018
More about the species
Description
This species inhabits marginal swamps and freshwater lagoons and it appears to favor sheltered inshore habitats; it inhabits the muddy regions at the sides of rivers and swampy waters, where it lies quiet or glides about with snake-like movements. During the hottest hours of the day, it comes to the surface just on the outer edge of the vegetation, and it goes back to the bottom when disturbed. It feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs and fishes. Polypterus senegalus senegalus is mainly insectivorous. Longevity of Polypterus senegalus in captivity can be 34 years and more. Larval fish 1.1-3.8 cm SL were found in papyrus root mat and juveniles up to 10 cm SL retaining external gills were found in fringing water hyacinth. Feeds mainly on fishes, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs as well as on plant fragments and seeds.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Polypterus arnaudi
- Polypterus arnaudii
- Polypterus bichir
- Polypterus delhezi
- Polypterus lapradei
- Polypterus senagalus
In other languages
- Vanlig fengädda
- Senegal-bikir
- Viherniilinhauki
- Bichir, Sail-fin, Sénégal bichir
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.