Can bichir fish live with a betta?

Bichir fish becomes large very soon. They are meat-eaters.

Can bichir fish live with a betta? No. If you put the bichir fish with the betta, there are high possibilities that the betta will get eaten by the fish. Also, the bichir will bother the betta more frequently, causing them to develop stress and anxiety.

What to do if your betta is chasing bichir fish?

Can betta fish eat bichir fish food?
What Size Tank is best to betta with bichir fish?
Can betta kill bichir fish?

How many bichir fish can you keep with your betta?
What temperature does betta and bichir fish need?
Can bichir fish live with female bettas?

What to do if your betta is chasing bichir fish?

One of the reasons why betta starts chasing the bichir fish is the territorial dispute. Due to the large size of the Bichir fish, there will be many incidents where the betta fish will face the challenges of moving bichir fish away from their territory.

Betta fish start attacking the Bichir fish to protect their space and community.

When you decide to house the Bichir fish with the betta, ensure that you use the large size tank to prevent them from coming close to each other more frequently.

Additionally, use the live plants in the tank so the fish will have less contact. Betta would stay hidden behind the trees.

Measure the water condition regularly to avoid hitting or cooling down beyond what both the fish can tolerate. The changing water condition also affects the mood of the betta fish. They become more aggressive.

Can betta fish eat bichir fish food?

Bichir fish is a carnivore species. They are most likely to have a meat-based diet in their daily meal. So they rarely eat dried foods such as pallets. You have to serve them frozen live foods, large fish, shrimps, mussels, and earthworms.

Also, the naturally found mosquito larvae could become their protein-rich diet. Blood worms provide essential vitamins to fish, helping them develop a robust immune system.

Like Bichir fish, the betta is also a carnivore species. There will be no need to have different food types for them. It makes them more compatible fish to have in the same fish tank. Food served to the Bichir fish will do the betta as well.

It becomes easy to maintain their diet and offer them sufficient food.

The food is high in animal protein, such as insects; larvae provide essential protein. The betta can thrive on other food types such as pellets, flakes, fish meals, frozen food, freeze-dried food, and bloodworms.

What Size Tank is best to betta with bichir fish?

The size of the bichir fish demands a large size tank. It is advisable to have a minimum of 90 gallons of the tank to house bichir fish with the betta. There will be less space for the fish to swim in the small tank, making them develop stress.

Also, the frequent close encounter between the betta and bichir would have a lethal impact. They bother each other, and in the worst case, the bichir fish would attack the betta.

Can betta kill bichir fish?

No. There are significantly fewer possibilities that the betta will kill the bichir fish. However, they could cause significant damage to the bichir fish.

Betta generally attacks the fish’s soft parts, such as fins and tails. Betta likes to eat the fins of the other fish. Bichir fish contains many soft fins at the side of their body, on their bottom and top.

Betta will start tearing them down and make them vulnerable to swimming.

The frequent attack causes the bichir fish to develop unwanted stress. If you do not take quick action, the bichir fish will create health issues. Eventually, the fish will die.

In contrast, the bichir fish can quickly kill the betta fish. The large size mouth of the bichir fish can comfortably swallow the small size betta fish. If the betta is large, it can also get eaten piece by piece when the situation changes in the water.

Therefore, it is advisable to feed them properly. If the bichir fish is too hungry, they start eating anything that fits into their mouth. The betta fish will be the soft target to satisfy their hunger.

How many bichir fish can you keep with your betta?

You can house more than one bichir fish in the tank as long as the tank’s size doesn’t become an issue. The fish need sufficient space to survive. Keep the betta and bichir in the tank large enough to offer space for each community.

The betta fish lives in the community. Thus, you can have more than 3 – 4 fish in the group. One large bichir with the 3 to 4 betta fish would make a great companion.

Both fish takes some time to become comfortable with each other. When housing them together, ensure that you observe them for a few days before leaving them alone.

If you find they are fighting with each other, immediately separate in another tank. It will have a lethal impact if no action is taken even after the fight has begun.

What temperature does betta and bichir fish need?

Bichir fish survive at a moderated temperature between 75-82° F (24-28° C). Keep the pH level between 6.2 and 7.8. The KH level of the water should be between 5 to 20 dKH.

The betta fish prefer water temperature between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Colder temperature is lethal for the betta fish. They will get killed if the water reaches below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

A drop in the water temperature affects their immune system. It slows down drastically, making them susceptible to various diseases.

In contrast, the hotter water temperature makes them uncomfortable. The fish will start aging the metabolism of the fish increases quickly, causing them to age faster. In the cold region, the heater should maintain the water temperature.

Ensure they provide natural habitat else; they will fall sick and die.

Can bichir fish live with female bettas?

Yes. The bichir fish will be comfortable sharing the water with the female bettas. Female bettas are less aggressive than bichir. If you put them in a large tank offering sufficient space for both the fish, they will not bother each other.

Create natural habitat for them with the densely packed live plants. Control the food safety as well. Otherwise, the betta fish and bichir fish will get into a fight.