Keeoing Polypterus

Discussion in 'Other' started by Gaawie, Dec 9, 2009.

  1. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    [​IMG]
    Ornate Bichir (Polypterus Delhezi)
     
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  3. tracyp

    tracyp Lotus

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    congrats on the new acquisition! Hmm... do I detect a monster fish keeper emerging here?!!!
     
  4. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    Well, not exclusively monster fish but I am more drawn to the odd species i.e. that look and act differently to the "usual" fish. That's why I'm getting rid of my severums. It's not that they're not awesome, but there's such a wide array of spectacularly odd fish out there, I just can't afford the bio load of the more common fish.

    Next is a lion fish!

    My tank will be filled with weird fish, but exceptionally boring as it seems all of these odd fish tend to be shy and lazy... Until prey swims by... ;-)
     
  5. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    I read that post that one guy's bichir attacked his cat and I knew I had to have one...
     
  6. mxz

    mxz

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    Nice Polypterus you got there SHiBBY. There's a difference between Ornate (Polypterus ornatipinnis) and Polypterus Delhezi . What you have there is a Delhezi. Good luck with him/her. They are real beauties. Keep us updated.

    Ornate:
    Ornate.jpg

    Ornate.jpg
     
  7. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    Here's an update no one expected: He died over the weekend, and infected my entire tank with whitespot. What a bummer...
     
  8. Vis

    Vis Gerhard

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    QT, and sorry to hear.
     
  9. mxz

    mxz

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    Sorry for your loss SHiBBY. Don't give up on Bichirs though. And all the best with the rest of your fish. Hope they get well soon.
     
  10. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    Ah, thanks bud. I'll never give up on Bichirs... I'm hooked. I'm just glad my fire eel is taking it so well. He's like a dog really. He grows on you.
     
  11. Altum

    Altum Sponsor

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    Polypterus delhezi

    I am SO Sorry I only got to this thread NOW.:sad2:
    As I was reading thru it...
    I saw your P delhezi pic.
    And HONESTLY, it already looked a fish in dire need of help!
    ie. You were fighting a losing battle here!

    Look at the tone of fish muscle? A bit weak, limp, even though it's a pic I can gather that it didn't swim strongly at ALL!...Right?

    The inflamed gill region..ectoparasite, or N-poisoning, or Oxygen deficiency..in a way inter-related .

    AND the pink patchiness, around almost the entire length?
    Looks like petechiae or ecchymoses
    ..both words describe discoloured patches indicative of trauma, with some loss from ruptured bloodvessels...usually pale pink, purple...ie.BLOOD just under the skin

    I really AM sorry you lost that fish.
    I know a few guys have even had their Delhezi grow up , pair up, and mate!
    They are long lived

    I'm now able to source around 6 species of Polypterids , incl delhezi FARMBRED!!!

    LineBreeding has fixed Albino , Fin length, scale type, shortened Vertebral, and lengthened Finnage mutations.

    Look out for a selection of weirder ODDBALLS from the Polypterus PANTRY!!:p

    ...The WaterZoo MAY get some LINEBRED Found-ONLY-in -Aquaria Polypterus in February...

    Chin up!

    PS
    Do your best to sterilise and eradicate whitespot from your sytem/s
    Talk to the LFS...come to an agreement of sorts??!
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2011
  12. SHiBBY

    SHiBBY DIY Guru

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    Thanks a million! He DID look a bit under the weather when I got him...

    I'm currently running TetraMedica ContraSpot in my tank to eradicate the issue. 80% of my remaining fish are looking great. Only the Gold Deacon is still looking hammered. Once they are all happy and cured, I'm going to get rid of my sand substrate and driftwood and reshape my tank to ensure optimal flow and to ensure that there are no "dead spots" in the tank where water stagnates and debris, uneaten food and waste can accumulate. I also want to get a tonic/immune booster that I can add periodically to ensure that this does not happen again.

    Only then will I look into getting another fish.
     
  13. Kattz

    Kattz

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    Hey~

    Wasn't too sure if I should start a new thread for this or revive this one. Sorry if I made the wrong choice!

    I found a useful post on feeding Polypterus that I'd like to link:
    http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159825

    Feeding these guys can be a bit of an issue at times. It's been over a year and still no luck with pellets with mine. I just got my guy to eat a lump of frozen hake fillet, which I am ecstatic about, so I felt inspired to share this link to a post that gives very good advice for anyone with either a new poly or one who is just plain fussy.

    Sorry to hear about your poly SHiBBY. I must admit that it looks very ill in the photo. It was potentially past the point of being saved by the time you got it. :( I definitely agree with Altum there. I shuddered when I saw the photo, especially since I got my guy at about that size so the ill health was so notable.

    I also have a question about identification. There is a lot of misidentification when it comes to Delhezi and Endlicheri. I was wondering if anyone can give me a link to a reputable site that can show me the difference clearly? I've checked out a lot of sites but they are incongruent. By the definitions I've had, that previous photo of SHiBBY's Delhezi kind of looks like a slightly darker patterned Endlicheri rather than a Delhezi.
     
  14. mxz

    mxz

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    @Kattz

    Nice link you gave there. I referred to many times when I had an Endlicheri. Try starving your poly for a few days and then feeding pellets. I had the same problem initially but the starvation worked well. Got him onto Hikari Cichlid Gold sinking pellets.

    Check this site: http://www.polypterus.info/profiles.htm

    The patterns might be similar but I think one of the main differences is in the size of the mouth/jaw. Delhezi has a small mouth in relation to it's size. The Endlicheri has a bigger mouth with the lower jaw being longer than the upper jaw.

    If you google some pics you can see clearly that the Endlicheri has a bigger mouth with fatter lips.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
  15. Kattz

    Kattz

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    Thanks Mxz! I've considered starvation but never tried it for long enough. Since we keep other predators there is generally food to go around, although I worry about him getting a variety of nutrients. I also breed my own feeders for them.
    They don't have Hikari pellets at my LFS, and I haven't seen them at the better shop in the next town. :( I think I'll keep an eye open for them and try starvation when I can get hold of some. I have heard them being recommended many times. :)

    Thanks for the link to that site. I had already looked there - the markings on other sites don't quite match up with all the other sites that I looked at, but I see what you say about the jaw. I was hoping for some kind of difference like that to pick up on, thanks!
     
  16. Toby

    Toby

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    Wow these guys look awesome :) cool pics
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2011

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