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Lone Star Rare Exotic Fish Co.
Endlicheri Bichir / Polypterus endlicherii
- Regular price
- $479.99
- Regular price
-
$0.00 - Sale price
- $479.99
- Unit price
- per
We have 5 left in stock
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Polypterus Endlicheri is known to be the second largest species of Bichir, beyond that, it is one of the largest species of freshwater fish.
A beautiful Bichir with a flat head, prominent lower jaw, and large scales that form a husky appearance. It displays a deep brown coloration with irregular transverse black stripes on its body, a characteristic that has earned it the popular name Saddle BIchir. On the fins, they have black spots. It is pale in the ventral region.
Its dorsal fin has the appearance of thick spines, ending in a beautiful and exuberant tail, also with black spots.
Polypterus Endlicheri is a beautiful fish with an imposing appearance, especially when it reaches a large size. They do not show rapid growth, growing an average of 1 inch per month until they reach close to 30 cm, then the growth rate decreases.
As much as they have a primitive appearance, they are peaceful fish. They will coexist without problems with larger fish or similar. Because they are excellent predators, smaller fish will be eaten.
These fish breathe atmospheric air and can be seen rising to the surface. They have poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell, this is one of the most interesting characteristics of the species.
Polypterus Endlicheri is a highly hardy fish, making it a great species for beginners who want a monster in their aquarium.
Endlicheri Bichir Care Information:
Scientific name: Polypterus endlicherii
Common name: Saddle Bichir, Polypterus Endlicheri
Order: Polypteriformes — Family: Polypteridae
Distribution: Africa: River Nile, Chad basin, River Niger, River Bandama, River Comoé Ouémé. Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan
Behavior: Peaceful
Adult Size: 24-30"
Life Expectancy: 20+ years
pH: 6.0 to 8.0
Temperature: 75 to 86 F
Minimum size tank: 150 gallons
Feeding: Carnivore
Reproduction: Oviparous. Lays eggs on plants or substrates. The couple's courtship begins with a series of jumps from the surface, usually just one at a time, followed by a slow descent through the water. After a while, the male will get very close to the female, and sometimes the female will remain motionless in the water when the male will come up to her from behind and push her with sideways head movements. The male's anal fin, normally enlarged and swollen, is bent into a concave shape and used to "shave" the female.
The eggs will be laid a little at a time along the thick vegetation and fertilized by the male afterward. They spawn during the rainy season. Parents do not care for the offspring and do not practice cannibalism; juveniles practice cannibalism among their siblings.
Sexual Dimorphism: The male has a noticeably thicker and wider anal fin than the female.
Additional Information: They have several adaptations such as the swim vesicle divided into two parts, the right part being considerably larger, functioning as an accessory breathing organ, and indicating that the fish can survive without water for some time, as long as its body is kept moist. These species, like the anabantoids, can drown if they are denied access to atmospheric air (aerial breathing). They do not have true lungs, but it is very similar.
Juveniles have an amphibious habit with external gills, which will be lost when they mature. Along with their nocturnal hunting mode, in which they emerge from their refuges to hunt invertebrates and small fish in shallow water, clearly indicating their evolutionary relationship between fish and amphibians.
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Lowest Price Guarantee - Price Matching
We are so confident that we offer the lowest prices online that we made the terms for price matching very simple! Just fill out the form below if you find a better price elsewhere and we won't just match it, we will beat it by 5%!
Conditions:
- The fish must be of similar quality. This would include coloring, markings, and health.
- The fish must be the same size as the one we are advertising.
- The fish must be listed with another online retailer within the United States that specializes in Live Tropical Fish.
- The fish must be currently in stock and available for purchase now.
What does not qualify:
- Fish that are sold via private sale. This would include fish being sold from private collectors/hobbyists, eBay listings, Facebook listings, Aquabid listings, etc.
- Local Fish Store prices. We will only honor the prices of other online fish retailers. We will not match the price of a fish at your local brick and mortar store, unless they have a website where they also sell online and ship.
- Sale prices. We will guarantee a price match on the full listing price of our competitors. We will sometimes make exceptions for sales that our competitors run, but this is not guaranteed and is issued at our discretion.
- Fish that are currently out of stock.
Please note that this guarantee is not based solely on the price of the fish itself and does include any shipping cost. We will beat the final checkout price of our competitors including shipping and handling. Please submit a photo of the final checkout price offered by our competition in order for us to provide a price match.
Shipping & General Information
PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER
Shipping Information
Livestock Shipping Rates
Continental US: Flat Rate $49.99
Texas: Flat Rate $19.99
Alaska: Flat Rate $99.99
Hawaii: We do not ship to Hawaii
Overnight Delivery
Please note that shipping rates are subject to change. We are located in the United States and will only ship to the Continental US. We ship using primarily UPS Next Day Air Overnight, which ships directly to your doorstep. Some shipments may be shipped using USPS Priority Express Overnight. Packages are typically delivered between 10:00 am -12:00 pm, but can sometimes be later.
The regular shipping cost includes a box with an insulated box liner and a heat pack during winter months. This does not include a thick-wall styrofoam box. If your order is shipping in below 50°F temperatures or above 90°F, make sure to add Cold Weather Shipping or Hot Weather Shipping to your order prior to checkout, as our regular packaging will not withstand these temperatures. More info below.
The day the shipping label is created, you'll receive an email with tracking information.
Orders typically ship within 3-10 business days. We ship Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which means packages are delivered Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please specify what day works best for you to receive on the Cart page prior to check out. If no date is selected prior to check out, your order will be shipped the next available day at our convenience. Please keep in mind that most fish require at least 2 days to clear out their digestive systems before shipping, which may delay shipping them out until the following week depending on when the order was placed.
Airport to Airport Delivery
This option is only available for large fish or very large orders.
Airport to airport is typically the fastest, safest, and most economical shipping option for large fish or large orders. The fish are sent to your nearest Southwest Cargo facility at your local airport where you'll be able to pick them up. We will not charge you for shipping if you choose this option. You will pay the airline directly upon pick up, unless Free Shipping applies to your order.
After placing your order, text us at 936-239-1292 with your Order Number and your Airport Code (ex. LAX, ATL, DFW, JFK, MIA) and we will find the best flight for both you and the fish, as well as walk you through the process if you are unfamiliar with it.
Local Pick Up
We are located in Livingston Texas (approximately 50 miles North of Houston), but we do not have a public location to visit. However, if you are in the Southeast Texas area and would like to pick up your fish in person, we do offer local meet-up's. Simply select "Local Pick Up" at checkout and include a valid phone number on your order and we will reach out to you to arrange a time to meet up.
Shipping Protection
We take great pride in our packaging and losses are a very rare occurrence, even when shipments are unexpectedly delayed. Due to the nature of our business, losses do happen from time to time. We guarantee Live Arrival on every shipment with our Live Arrival Guarantee, however this only covers the cost of the lost livestock via a store credit and does not cover packages that are lost or stolen. Our Shipping Protection is just a few bucks on most orders and will cover you in case of lost/stolen packages, and will cover your shipping expenses if the order is a total loss. This means that if your order is a total loss, instead of receiving a store credit for the fish minus shipping costs, you will receive a full cash refund back to the original payment source including the shipping costs.
Cold Weather Shipping
If you expect to receive nighttime low temperatures in your area of less than 50°F, please select this option prior to checkout. While our normal packaging includes heat packs, it is not designed to withstand temperatures below 50°F. We DO NOT check the weather in your area prior to shipping, this is your responsibility. When this option is selected we will use a thick-wall styrofoam shipping box to ensure your new fish arrive to you safely. This up-charge is added to your shipping costs and will be treated the same as your regular shipping costs. If nighttime temperatures in your area are less than 50°F and this option is not selected, our Live Arrival Guarantee will be voided. If temperatures are below 30°F in your area, please consider waiting for warmer weather before you place your order.
Hot Weather Shipping
If you expect to daytime high temperatures in your area of greater than 90°F, please select this option prior to checkout. We DO NOT check the weather in your area prior to shipping, this is your responsibility. When this option is selected we will include cooling packs to your order to ensure your new fish arrive to you safely. This up-charge is added to your shipping costs and will be treated the same as your regular shipping costs. If daytime temperatures in your area are greater than 90°F and this option is not selected, our Live Arrival Guarantee will be voided. If temperatures are above 110°F in your area, please consider waiting for cooler weather before you place your order.
General Information
Pre-Order
Pre-orders often take 2-4 weeks to fulfill, but can occasionally take 4-8 weeks, so please be prepared to wait after placing your pre-order.
If you order In-Stock Livestock with your Pre-Order Livestock, your In-Stock Livestock will be held until your Pre-Order Livestock is ready to ship.
Pre-orders are subject to cancellation at any time. Due to the nature of pre-ordering livestock, we can not always guarantee that all of the fish that you order will arrive to us. Sometimes due to factors such as shipping delays, availability changes, or fish arriving to us DOA, we will have to either do a partial or full order cancellation. In the unusual case that we are unable to fulfill your order within 8 weeks of being placed, you can choose to receive a full refund with zero cancellation fees, or we will issue an automatic full refund with zero cancellation fees if we determine that we can not fulfill the order at all.
7-Day and 30-Day Livestock Protection
We are very confident in the health of our livestock and believe that they will continue to thrive in your care, however things don't always work out the way they should. We are offering protection on your new livestock purchase up to $1,000 with our Livestock Protection Programs. If you lose your new fish in the first 7 or 30 days after arrival, simply submit a claim and we will refund the full purchase price of your fish, even if it's your fault! We won't ask any questions about your set up, experience level, water parameters, etc. All we ask for is photographic proof that the fish is no longer alive. Please keep in mind that in some cases we may ask for additional evidence to verify a claim, which may include a photo of the fish cut in half. You must keep the remains in your possession until the claim is resolved. Protection will not apply if lost due to something such as being consumed by tank-mates. Void if the fish has been visibly damaged. Protection fee and shipping are non-refundable.
Order Cancellation
If you need to make changes to your order, please contact us and we will be happy to assist with any modifications. If an order needs to be canceled after being placed and prior to shipping, we can either issue a store credit for the full amount, or can issue a refund. If a refund is preferred, there will be a 10% fee that will deducted from the refund amount as a service fee and to cover our transactions fees both ways.
Product Photography
We do our best to keep our photos accurate and up to date, but be aware that livestock photos may not always be of the exact fish available unless listed as WYSIWYG.
Special Requests
Can't find what you're looking for? Head over to our Special Requests page and leave a comment with what you're looking for and we will do our best to find it.
Limitation of Species
We are located in Texas, meaning that while we may be better than all of y'all in the rest of the country, we unfortunately can not keep or sell many of the species that we would like to. This includes fish such as Freshwater Stingrays, Piranha, Arapaima, Electric Eels, and Payara just to name a few. For a full list of restricted species in Texas, head to Texas Parks & Wildlife's list of Invasive, Prohibited and Exotic Species.
Live Arrival Guarantee / DOA Policy
We take great pride in our packaging and losses are a very rare occurrence, even when shipments are unexpectedly delayed. Live arrival is always guaranteed by default on every order, given the conditions below are met. If there are any DOA's in your order, we offer a store credit towards your next purchase for the full value of the lost livestock, minus any shipping charges. Shipping charges are non-refundable. To be eligible for a cash refund for the full value of the lost livestock instead of store credit, Shipping Protection must be included in your order.
Conditions of Live Arrival Guarantee
1. The package must be received on the first delivery attempt.
2. The package must be sent to the correct address and not a forwarding address.
3. Temperatures in your area must be between 50-90
°F, unless Cold Weather Shipping or Hot Weather Shipping was added to your order. Find more info about Hot and Cold Weather Shipping in our Shipping and General Information section.
4. You must fill out our DOA Claim Submission Form within 2 hours of delivery and provide clear photos of the lost item, both inside of the sealed unopened bag as well as laid on a dry surface.
5. Our DOA Policy does not cover lost/stolen packages if your order does not include Shipping Protection.
We are not responsible for any losses that occur after the fish is removed from the bag or beyond 2 hours after the marked delivery time, so please make sure that you are available to receive your fish as soon as they arrive and that your tank is ready to accept new livestock.
If your livestock was insured with our 7-Day or 30-Day Protection and you need to file a claim, please fill out the Insurance Claim Submission Form
