Species profile

Ornate Bichir

Polypterus ornatipinnis

Common names: Ornate Bichir

Recognized speciesOddballs

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Adult size

Up to 60 cm

Countries of origin

Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

A keeper with room for a large aquarium
A dedicated tank built around this one fish

Think carefully if

You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
You cannot provide about 648 litres for a fully grown fish
You keep shrimp you want to protect

A strikingly patterned, prehistoric-looking fish with a dark net pattern, and it grows to about 60 cm. Keep alone or in a small group in 648 litres or more.

Appearance and Identification

A strikingly patterned, prehistoric-looking fish with a dark net pattern, and it grows to about 60 cm. It has poor eyesight, hunts by smell, breathes air and eats anything it can swallow.

Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.

Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.

Tank Requirements

Suggested filter: About 2,590–3,240 litres an hour
Suggested heater: About 650–975 W for this tank
Minimum tank volume: 648 litres
Minimum tank length: 180 cm
Minimum group size: 1
Recommended group size: 1
Activity level: Moderate
Flow preference: Low to moderate
Planting preference: Moderately planted
Hiding places: Yes
Lid recommended: Yes
Jumping risk: Moderate

Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.

Behaviour and Tankmates

A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.

Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.

Many are intolerant of their own kind.

It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp.

Check tankmates for this species

Water Parameters

Temperature: 25–28 °C
pH: 6–8
GH: 5–25
Stability importance: Important

Fairly tolerant of different water, if it is clean and stable. Keep the temperature steady.

Parameter caveat

Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.

Feeding

Diet types: Carnivore, Predator
Feeding frequency: Daily
Preferred foods: Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.

A nocturnal predator that eats fish, crustaceans and worms. Feed sinking pellets with frozen fish, prawns and earthworms.

Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.

Breeding

Breeding type: Egg Scatterer
Breeding difficulty: Moderate
Parental care: None
Baby foods: InfusoriaNeeded for the first days, because most fry are very small.
Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce as soon as the fry can take it.

An egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults eat eggs and fry, so use a separate tank with fine plants, moss or mesh on the bottom, and remove the adults after spawning. The fry need very small foods at first.

Habitat and Origin

Geographic origin: Africa, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania
Natural habitat: Lake, Pond, River
Aquarium contexts: Large Freshwater Aquarium, Planted Aquarium, Species-Only Aquarium
Audience level: Specialist

Classification

Profile type: Recognized species
Genus: Polypterus
Family: Polypteridae
Species group: Fish, Oddballs

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Good fit for your tank?

Good fit for

Think carefully if

Appearance and Identification

Tank Requirements

Behaviour and Tankmates

Water Parameters

Feeding

Breeding

Habitat and Origin

Classification

Have you kept this species?

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Guides for keeping this fish

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