Polypterus delhezi Breeding Guide
What is verifiable about breeding the barred bichir Polypterus delhezi: a Congo-basin air-breather that spawns in the rainy season and is rarely reproduced in home aquaria.
Overview
Polypterus delhezi, the barred bichir, is a primitive, facultative air-breathing fish from Africa's middle Congo River basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of Congo, living in streams, lakes and zones of flood. It reaches a total length of about 44 cm and is a nocturnal, entirely carnivorous predator that relies heavily on smell rather than its poor eyesight when hunting.
Conditioning
The diet is entirely carnivorous and includes essentially anything that can be sucked into the mouth, such as small fish, insects and worms; in captivity shrimp, prawn and mussels are noted as favoured prey. Feeding a varied carnivorous diet is the basis of any conditioning attempt.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Reproduction and spawning occur during the rainy season. In bichirs generally, the female lays anywhere from 100 to 300 eggs over the span of a few days, with subsequent fertilization by the male. Detailed spawning behaviour specific to P. delhezi is not documented in the consulted sources and is omitted.
Breeding Setup
- Temperature: 26-28 C
- Habitat reference: streams, lakes and flood zones of the middle Congo basin
- Reproduction tied to the rainy season
- Adult size around 44 cm TL
Common Challenges
The main obstacle is that home spawning is not reliably achieved; seasonal rainy-season cues that drive reproduction in the wild are difficult to reproduce indoors. A securely covered tank is essential, since bichirs are accomplished escape artists.