Bichir aggression

[Michaelmcg]

First post! Should I be concerned with a little rough-housing between a Bristlenose and a Senegal Bichir during feeding? There haven't been any injuries but they do push each other around trying to go after the same piece of food. Is that something I need to address or is it normal in fish that size? 

[H.K.Luterman]

How old is your bichir? I've noticed they can be very pushy when they're young, probably because they're still growing and are consequently very hungry. To curb food aggression, and make sure everyone gets enough food, you might want to try feeding your bichir with tongs. I have kept multiple senegals together with other fish, and I feed them all frozen tilapia pieces individually at least once a day. As they get older they do seem to mellow out a bit, though. 

[Michaelmcg]

He's a few years old at this point. Probably at least 6 inches long. I think it's this new brand of pellets I've been feeding. They all seem to love this specific pellet and don't want any of the others to get any so they shove each other around over one piece other pieces sit untouched.

[H.K.Luterman]

1 hour ago, Michaelmcg said:

He's a few years old at this point. Probably at least 6 inches long. I think it's this new brand of pellets I've been feeding. They all seem to love this specific pellet and don't want any of the others to get any so they shove each other around over one piece other pieces sit untouched.

How many times a day are you feeding?

[Michaelmcg]

Once or twice a day. Usually 4 or 5 pellets to share between the bichir, pleco, and sometimes the yoyo loaches want some too.

[H.K.Luterman]

1 minute ago, Michaelmcg said:

Once or twice a day. Usually 4 or 5 pellets to share between the bichir, pleco, and sometimes the yoyo loaches want some too.

Well, I guess they're just being feisty, which is always a good sign! 🙂 Bristlenose are armored catfish so they do have a level of protection against nips. I'd just keep an eye on them and check daily for signs of damage.