Bichir substrate

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

So I have heard that bichirs don’t do well on gravel because they can potentially swallow some and die. Is this a myth, or if not is it very likely to happen? I have mostly sand substrate with some sparse bits of gravel mixed in and I’m wondering if I need to take it out.

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

I mean, it can happen,  but is it likely? Personally I haven't seen mine eat gravel. I also have a pretty strong feeling that if some was swallowed it would just pass. I like leaf litter for mine. I hear stuff like this a lot with everything from leopard geckos to axolotyls. I think animals are more than capable of passing most small unintentionally swallowed things like substrate. Last I checked most wild animals don't live on bare bottoms....

Edited October 18, 2021 by Expectorating_Aubergine

[H.K.Luterman]

I've kept 4 senegals so far, and I do keep them on sand. The only one I would have worried about eating gravel would have been this little female I had (who passed away after about 2 years from bloat); she put EVERYTHING in her mouth. She'd dig up root tabs and eat them! But she was also a special case who seemed to have deformities and never grew much. 

I think most of the time you're safe from it happening, but there's always a chance for something weird to happen. It's just a case on how much you want to switch out the substrate, how safe you want to play it.