1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Slow and peaceful, but a predator of small tankmates.
233 species in our list are a good match.
Slow and peaceful, but a predator of small tankmates.
Sinking pellets, earthworms, prawns and frozen foods; feed in the evening.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males have a much thicker anal fin than females.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer ·
Has been bred in aquaria but details are scarce. Breeds in the rainy season; an egg scatterer whose male cups his anal and caudal fins to collect the eggs, fertilises them and scatters them among plants. Remove adults afterwards, as they eat the eggs.
Keep a group and condition them well.
A large tank or pond with plants and soft light.
Seasonal change or hormone injections at farms.
Fecundity around 2,350 eggs (FishBase estimate); eggs are scattered among plants and hatch in 3-4 days, and fry swim freely about 3 days later.
Larvae have external gills and need tiny live food.
A barred bichir from the Congo basin with 7-8 black bars across a grey-olive back; also called the armoured or banded bichir. Named after Henri Paul Delhez, the Belgian artist-naturalist who collected the first specimen.
George Albert Boulenger described this bichir in 1899 from the Congo basin. Its bold dark bars earned it the name barred bichir, and it is one of the more active hunters among bichirs. It has long been a staple of the oddball-fish hobby.
First described by George A. Boulenger in 1899.
15 facts checked with sources
Valid name Polypterus delhezi Boulenger, 1899.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Polypterus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summaryLegacy has no family.
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summaryFishBase 44 cm TL; Seriously Fish 35 cm SL (legacy 35 matches the SL figure). The larger TL figure is used; the gap is partly SL vs TL.
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summary · Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)Seriously Fish 24-30 °C (preferred); FishBase 26-28 °C. Legacy 24-28 lies inside the Seriously Fish range.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir) · FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summaryLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)120 x 45 x 38 cm = 205,200 cm³ ≈ 205 L (Seriously Fish's own figure). Legacy 300 L is more generous; 205 L is the sourced minimum. Floor space matters more than depth.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)Facultative air-breather; can drown without access to air (Seriously Fish).
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summarySeriously Fish rates it 'Easy' (hardy, flexible water) but it still needs a large tank (120 x 45 cm base) and tankmates too big to eat. Legacy 'moderate'.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)Legacy has no native range. FishBase notes old reports from the Chari (Chad basin) are unconfirmed.
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summary · Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir) · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Polypterus (updated 21 Sep 2026)Legacy female description (wider, deeper body) is not stated by the sources checked; only the thicker male anal fin is.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)Legacy 'spawns in groups with slow current' is not supported by the sources.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir) · FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summaryFishBase's Fec=2,350 is the fecundity figure used for its resilience estimate; legacy 'hundreds' may understate it.
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summary · Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)Barred pattern confirmed; 'ranges from bars to splotches' not stated by the sources. IUCN Least Concern (2009, via FishBase).
FishBase: Polypterus delhezi summary · Seriously Fish: Polypterus delhezi (Armoured Bichir)