Ornate bichir
The most strikingly patterned bichir, marked in a yellow-and-black reticulation and reaching around fifty centimetres. Like every bichir it breathes air, has armoured scales, and will leave a tank through a surprisingly small gap.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Polypterus ornatipinnis
- Adult size
- 40–55 cm (15.7–21.7 in)
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Temperature
- 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- pH
- 6–7.8
- Hardness
- 3–18 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 500 L (132 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 200 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group — at least 2
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy and long-lived, reaching fifty centimetres with an absolute need for surface access and an escape-proof lid. It eats every tankmate it can swallow.
Slow shaded river margins and swamps with soft bottoms and dense cover, often in low-oxygen water.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Ornate bichir
- Scientific name
- Polypterus ornatipinnis
- Family
- Polypteridae
- Order
- Polypteriformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Polypterus ornatipinnis, ornate polypterus, ornatipinnis bichir
Adult size and growth
40–55 cm (15.7–21.7 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 15–20 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: elongate with a large — a piscivore's mouth. Assigned from what is typical of Polypteridae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
A fifty-centimetre bottom-dwelling fish that must reach the surface to breathe. Floor area and a sealed cover are both requirements.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Congo basin lowland water, warm and soft to moderate. The species breathes air and tolerates low oxygen, which is a physiological fact rather than a licence to keep it in poor conditions.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Lowland floodplain
Seasonally inundated flat country — várzea, chaco, swamp margin — where the water body changes size, depth and chemistry through the year.
The habitat's defining feature is change, so a single band describes it badly. Species from here are generally tolerant of a wide range and intolerant of nothing much — which makes them easy to keep and easy to keep wrongly.
- Conductivity
- 40–300 µS/cm
- Flow
- still
- Dissolved oxygen
- low
- Seasonality
- strong
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 24–29 °C (75–84 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 6–7.8 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 3–18 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 500 L (132 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 200 cm long × 60 cm deep | A fifty-centimetre bottom-dwelling fish that must reach the surface to breathe. Floor area and a sealed cover are both requirements. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Yes | This species jumps. |
| Structure | Soft sand, caves and wood sized for the adult, with unobstructed surface access and a heavy lid. |
Behaviour
- Rises to the surface at intervals to gulp air through paired lungs, which is obligatory rather than supplementary.
- Moves along the bottom using the pectoral fins almost like limbs, and can travel short distances over damp surfaces.
Telling males from females
Males have a noticeably broader and thicker anal fin. The difference is reliable in adults and not in juveniles.
Feeding
A slow scent-guided hunter that finds food by smell rather than sight. It is easily out-fed by faster tankmates and needs food placed where it will find it.
- Diet type
- Carnivore
- Staples
- Earthworm, Prawn, Frozen fish, Large sinking pellets, Mussel
- Avoid
- Live feeder fish, Mammalian meat
Breeding
- Strategy
- Eggs deposited among vegetation, with no parental care
- Difficulty
- rarely achieved
- Parental care
- none
Commercial production exists through hormone induction. Unassisted aquarium spawnings are uncommon and poorly documented.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | near-certain | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | near-certain | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | moderate | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Escapes are the commonest way bichirs are lost. They push at lids, follow pipework and can survive out of water long enough to reach the floor and dry out.
- Poor eyesight and slow feeding mean it is regularly starved in a tank of fast fish while appearing to be fed.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- The Congo basin and the Lake Tanganyika drainage of central Africa
- Habitat
- Slow shaded river margins and swamps with soft bottoms and dense cover, often in low-oxygen water.
What the checklists say
3 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 3 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Polypterus ornatipinnis | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | The Congo basin and the Lake Tanganyika drainage of central Africa | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 40–55 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 15–20 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 24–29 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 6–7.8 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 3–18 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 500 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 200 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 2 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-29. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableLimited evidence — treat with caution.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 3 distribution statements held, and not one of them states an establishment means. Presence without native-or-introduced is not a native-range claim, so this stays below requirement rather than being read as one.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Schooling and shoalingThis species is recorded as loose group, and the number it is kept in decides how it behaves.
- Predator and prey sizeIt takes fish that fit in its mouth, and its mouth grows with it.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
- Rehoming an animal you can no longer keepThis animal reaches 55 cm. Most of the difficult rehoming cases are fish sold small that were always going to become impossible.
Group size and social behaviour
Comparatively tolerant of its own kind and of other bichirs. Disputes are over shelter and food rather than territory and rarely cause serious damage.