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Lapradei Bichir (Polypterus bichir "Lapradei")
23–28°C · pH 6.5–7.5
£47.99
Albino Senegal Bichir is the pale red-eyed form of Polypterus senegalus. One quantity supplies one unsexed fish from the selected size option for a large, fully covered adult aquarium.
Polypterus senegalus
Albino Senegal Bichir is the pale red-eyed form of Polypterus senegalus. One quantity supplies one unsexed fish from the selected size option for a large, fully covered adult aquarium.
Maintain these water conditions for optimal health and vibrant colors
The Albino Senegal Bichir is the pale, red-eyed colour form of Polypterus senegalus, an African freshwater fish with an elongated body, separate dorsal finlets and the ability to breathe atmospheric air. It is also known in the trade as an albino grey or gray bichir, dinosaur bichir or dinosaur eel, although it is a bichir rather than an eel.
One selected quantity supplies one live, unsexed fish in the chosen approximate size band. The size selector shows the options currently offered; it does not represent adult size. A gallery image showing two fish is still representative of the species and does not mean that a pair is supplied.
This is a long-term predatory fish for an experienced keeper. Plan for the adult rather than the juvenile being purchased: it needs a large permanent aquarium with a broad floor area, mature filtration, shaded cover, a secure gap-free lid and uninterrupted access to atmospheric air at the surface. Any animal small enough to swallow must be treated as potential prey.
| Accepted species | Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829 |
|---|---|
| Colour form | Albino, usually cream to pale pink with red or pink-red eyes |
| Supplier trade identity | Gray bichir / Polypterus senegalus albino |
| Size options | Approximate 5-6 cm, 6-10 cm and 10-15 cm bands when shown as available |
| Sale unit | One live, unsexed fish per selected quantity |
| Care level | Advanced: adult space, predatory feeding and escape prevention need planning |
| Planning temperature | 25-28°C |
| pH and hardness | pH 6.0-8.0; FishBase lists 5-19 dGH, while supplier and specialist profiles extend to 25 dGH |
| Diet | Varied meaty foods, with a complete sinking carnivore food where accepted |
| Essential features | Rigid gap-free lid, open surface access, mature filtration, soft substrate and shaded hides |
Live fish vary naturally in exact length, body tone, fin condition and markings. Sex, age, final size, temperament, breeding potential and exact colour are not guaranteed by a dispatch-size option.
Senegal bichirs can be robust once established, but that does not make them ordinary community fish. The decisive questions are whether the permanent aquarium is large enough, whether every opening can be secured, whether the fish can always reach the surface and whether all companions remain too large to swallow as it grows.
| Suitable plan | Unsuitable plan |
|---|---|
| A long, wide, fully cycled aquarium planned around a substantial adult predator | A small temporary setup treated as the permanent adult home |
| A rigid lid with cable, pipe, filter and feeding gaps closed | An open aquarium, loose cover or uncovered feeding flap |
| Calm companions that are clearly too large and deep-bodied to swallow | Tetras, guppies, fry, dwarf shrimp or other bite-sized livestock |
| Observed low-light feeding with food reaching the bichir | A busy community in which faster fish take every meal |
The accepted species name is Polypterus senegalus. “Albino” describes the colour form and is not part of the formal species binomial. The supplier's “Gray bichir” wording is a common-name label for the species; the customer-facing name Albino Senegal Bichir makes the pale form on this listing clear.
Senegal bichirs have a flattened head, paired pectoral fins, an elongated body and a row of individual dorsal finlets rather than one continuous dorsal fin. The albino form normally has reduced dark pigment, a cream or pinkish body and red eyes. Lighting, age, stress and individual variation can alter how pale or warm a fish appears.
The four existing gallery images are representative aquarium illustrations, not photographs of the exact fish dispatched. They help show the expected colour form and general body shape but are not reliable guarantees of exact scale, colour or individual appearance. One illustration contains two fish; the sale unit remains one fish per quantity.
For the normal grey-gold colour form of the same accepted species, see the separate Senegal Bichir listing.
Published size figures describe different evidence boundaries. Supplier data uses an adult figure around 30 cm, Fishkeeper gives an aquarium maximum around 40 cm, and FishBase records a 70 cm maximum published wild standard length. These figures should not be averaged into a false promise or used to predict the final size of an individual fish.
Fishkeeper recommends an adult aquarium around six feet by two feet by two feet. This is approximately a 180 x 60 x 60 cm class aquarium and is a useful conservative planning benchmark for one adult. More floor area is needed when multiple bichirs or other substantial fish share the aquarium.
Length and front-to-back width determine whether a strong-bodied adult can turn and move between open areas and cover. Filtration must support the waste load, while lid design must prevent escape without blocking the air space above the water. These practical factors are more informative than a small marketing volume quoted for a juvenile.
Use soft sand or smooth fine gravel with stable shaded shelters and open routes along the bottom. Avoid sharp decor and narrow holes that could trap or scrape the fish. Subdued or shaded areas suit a bichir that often becomes more active in low light, provided plants or cover never block its route to the surface.
Polypterus senegalus is a facultative air breather and controlled trips to the surface are normal. Leave an unobstructed route to atmospheric air beneath the lid. Air breathing does not make escape safe: the cover still needs to be rigid and secure, with cable, pipe, filter and feeding openings checked from the fish's position.
| Parameter | Evidence-led planning value | Practical point |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 25-28°C | Keep stable and avoid abrupt change |
| pH | 6.0-8.0 | Stability matters more than chasing one exact number |
| Hardness | 5-19 dGH in FishBase; some supplier and specialist guidance extends to 25 dGH | Avoid sudden movement between range extremes |
| Ammonia and nitrite | 0 mg/L in a mature freshwater aquarium | Test the aquarium before adding the fish and whenever water quality is in doubt |
Introduce this fish only to a mature, fully cycled aquarium. OATA explains that toxic ammonia and nitrite should remain at zero once biological filtration is established. Remove uneaten food, test regularly and use a consistent water-change and filter-maintenance routine appropriate to the aquarium's stocking and feeding load.
This predatory fish locates much of its food by smell, especially in low light. Offer varied meaty foods in pieces the fish can swallow safely. Suitable choices include earthworm from a safe source, thawed prawn, mussel, cockle, krill and appropriate frozen aquatic foods. A nutritionally complete sinking carnivore food is useful when the individual accepts it; dry-food acceptance should be observed rather than assumed.
Smaller arrivals need appropriately sized portions. Feed after the lights dim or place food near the fish so faster companions do not take everything first. Observe the meal, remove leftovers and adjust the amount and frequency to the fish's size, growth, body condition and competition rather than relying on one rigid schedule.
An Albino Senegal Bichir is better described as predatory than simply “semi-aggressive.” It may remain calm toward a fish that is clearly too large to swallow while still eating smaller livestock after dark. Compatibility must be reassessed as the bichir grows because a companion that is safe beside a juvenile may later become prey.
Potential companions need compatible water, sufficient body depth, a calm feeding style and enough space. No named species is guaranteed safe. Avoid small tetras, rasboras, guppies, fry, ornamental shrimp and other bite-sized animals, as well as aggressive fish that may harass or injure the bichir.
Similarly sized Senegal bichirs can sometimes be kept together in a much larger aquarium with multiple hides and supervised feeding. Individual compatibility, sex and pair formation are not guaranteed. One quantity on this listing is one unsexed fish, not a pair or group, so keep a separation plan whenever substantial predatory fish are combined.
Prepare the mature, covered aquarium before delivery, dim the lights and follow the current live-fish delivery and acclimation guidance. Eligible livestock orders are covered by the current Live Arrival Guarantee subject to the published delivery, postcode and claim conditions on that page.
The old 12-year figure is not retained as a dependable lifespan promise. FishBase records a maximum reported captive longevity above 34 years for the species, but that is an exceptional record rather than an expected result for every fish. It does show why this animal should be treated as a potentially long commitment.
Identity and taxonomic authority follow Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. Distribution, water range, air-breathing status, feeding evidence, maximum published size and longevity records are checked against FishBase. Aquarium dimensions, secure-cover, substrate, social and feeding planning are cross-checked with the Fishkeeper Senegal Bichir profile. Freshwater filtration and zero-ammonia/zero-nitrite guidance follows OATA.
Wild maximum size, common aquarium size, dispatch band and guaranteed final size are not interchangeable. Water-range edges are published records rather than a reason to expose a fish to abrupt change. Aquarium dimensions are conservative husbandry guidance, not a universal biological threshold. Exact sex, colour, behaviour, adult size, breeding and compatibility remain individual and cannot be guaranteed.
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