1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Large and strong; can eat tankmates up to half its length.
86 species in our list are a good match.
Large and strong; can eat tankmates up to half its length.
Check your local laws. Australia (Western Australia): listed as a high-risk non-endemic fish that is noxious elsewhere in Australia; WA will not approve translocation, authorities or aquaculture licences to import it. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Sinking pellets, earthworms, prawns and frozen foods; feed in the evening.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males have a 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 collects the eggs in his cupped anal and caudal fins, fertilises them and scatters them among plants. Needs a very large tank.
Keep a group and condition them well.
A large tank or pond with plants and soft light.
Seasonal change or hormone injections at farms.
Eggs are scattered among plants and hatch in 3-4 days; fry swim freely about 3 days later. No egg count found.
Larvae have external gills and need tiny live food.
One of the largest bichirs (to 75 cm), with 4-5 broad dark saddles across the back, and one of the 'lower-jawed' bichirs whose lower jaw protrudes.
Johann Jakob Heckel described this bichir in 1847 and named it after the botanist Stephan Endlicher. It is a large, heavily-built bichir with dark saddles. It can grow to around 75 cm.
First described by Johann Jakob Heckel in 1847. Named for Named after Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher.
16 facts checked with sources
Spelling correction: the valid name is Polypterus endlicherii (double i); 'endlicheri' is a common misspelling still used by Seriously Fish. Trade confusion: the former subspecies P. endlicheri congicus is now a separate species, Polypterus congicus Boulenger 1898 (Moritz & Britz 2019), from the Congo system. Legacy's 'congo bichir' alias and 'Congo bichir form' variant are P. congicus, not this species; P. endlicherii itself is from the Nile and West Africa.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Polypterus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · FishBase: Polypterus endlicherii summaryLegacy has no family.
FishBase: Polypterus endlicherii summarySeriously Fish 75 cm SL; FishBase 65.5 cm SL. Larger figure kept; Seriously Fish notes it rarely reaches that in captivity. Seriously Fish says P. congicus grows even larger (wild fish to 39 in / ~1 m).
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir) · FishBase: Polypterus endlicherii summarySeriously Fish 22-27 °C; FishBase gives no range. Legacy 24-28.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Legacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)210 x 120 x 90 cm = 2,268,000 cm³ = 2,268 L (Seriously Fish's own figure). Legacy 1,000 L is far too small for an adult.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Essentially piscivorous (FishBase).
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Seriously Fish rates it 'Difficult' only because of tank size; otherwise hardy with flexible water needs. Legacy 'moderate'.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Legacy has no native range. It is not a Congo fish; Congo saddled bichirs are P. congicus.
FishBase: Polypterus endlicherii summary · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: species of Polypterus (updated 21 Sep 2026) · Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Legacy female description (wider, deeper body) is not stated by the sources checked; only the thicker male anal fin is.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Legacy 'spawns in groups with slow current' is not supported.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Legacy 'hundreds of eggs' not confirmed; hatch time added.
Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Large size and saddles confirmed; 'grows fast' not stated by the sources. Named after Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher (FishBase). IUCN Least Concern (2019).
FishBase: Polypterus endlicherii summary · Seriously Fish: Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Saddled Bichir)Only the WA listing was found. Not CITES-listed (FishBase: 'Not Evaluated'). US, EU and UK rules were not checked for this species; no listing was found.
Western Australia DPIRD: High-risk non-endemic fish that are noxious fish elsewhere in Australia