FINALLY!!!!

[Peanut_Power]

The very FIRST hint of red/orange is starting to come in!!!! :headbang2 :popcorn: :popcorn:

[Red Devil]

How long did it take ...

[Peanut_Power]

I got them in May at about 6" to 7" from Grey Wyman, who might I add, is a superb guy and has some seriously awesome fish. You should check him out on Aquabid, his seller ID on there is Wetspotcx. He also has some of these awesome lents left over to sell. :)

At the size that I got them, they were maybe four to seven months old I'd guess. So I've had them well over three months, almost four now, and the male, which is larger, is JUST starting to show.

Generally, most Lugubris group pikes won't start to show their adult colors until they are about ten to twelve months old.

[its_an_obsession]

very cool. how much longer til the full adult coloring is done?

[LobstersGoPeenchPeench]

very nice peanut cant wait to see full body shots of them

[q_fish]

nice!!

[Red Devil]

I got them in May at about 6" to 7" from Grey Wyman, who might I add, is a superb guy and has some seriously awesome fish. You should check him out on Aquabid, his seller ID on there is Wetspotcx. He also has some of these awesome lents left over to sell. :)

At the size that I got them, they were maybe four to seven months old I'd guess. So I've had them well over three months, almost four now, and the male, which is larger, is JUST starting to show.

Generally, most Lugubris group pikes won't start to show their adult colors until they are about ten to twelve months old.
very good... they are beautiful...

[BigPic]

congrats - the orange will start to blaze in no time! I wish my "pair" would just get along and swim around the tank with me in front so I can take pics! All lents deserve more photo press. . . they just won't co-operate! LOL

[Peanut_Power]

very cool. how much longer til the full adult coloring is done?

Thankz ya!! It'll probably be quite a while still, not entirely sure honestly.

very nice peanut cant wait to see full body shots of them

Soon. . . very soon. :)

nice!!

Thankz!

very good... they are beautiful...

Thanks!!! They are by far my fav. fish fo shore! :D

[Peanut_Power]

congrats - the orange will start to blaze in no time! I wish my "pair" would just get along and swim around the tank with me in front so I can take pics! All lents deserve more photo press. . . they just won't co-operate! LOL

Definitely lookin forward to it!! Can't wait till it starts to blaze!! You got any more updates of yours?

Yeah, I hear ya on that. They are moody when it comes to picture time. Sometimes they'll sit there and allow a few shots before swimming off, other times they are just darn uncooperative. At least as they get larger they get bolder!! :) Makes things a little easier. Almost don't want to move them to the 300gal, cuz right now the male is pretty calm when he sees me. The move might make him skittish towards me again. :irked:

[willpol1]

What type of pikes do you have? I had 2 but couldn't get them to live together in the same tank.

[its_an_obsession]

it is very frustrating when the pikes are very skittish. i always like to provide them with caves but then sometimes they are so skittish that they hide all the time. I come into the room and i see them dart into the cave.

dont they know how beautiful they are. they should be out strutting there stuff all the time.

[Peanut_Power]

What type of pikes do you have? I had 2 but couldn't get them to live together in the same tank.

Hey!!! Welcome to MFK!! Viva La Crenicichla!!! :D

I currently have two Crenicichla lenticulata 'Rio Atabapo' in a 125gal with some other assorted SA/CA cichlids. The picture in this thread is of the male. :) If you are thinkin about getting some again, be sure to check out Grey Wyman whom I got mine from. He is a seller on Aquabid . . . Wetspotcx

If you are going to try and keep Crenicichla in the same tank, it helps if you get them small, and keep them in group, minimum of at least three. It helps to spread out the aggression, and allows them to pair up naturally. Once they've paired up, you just remove the others. :)

I got 'lucky' though as I managed to get a 'pair' out of the three. Sold the larger male already. My current male still harasses the female some, but hopefully soon after they are moved to the 300gal they will finally pair up. She still has a while to go before she is ready though.

[Peanut_Power]

it is very frustrating when the pikes are very skittish. i always like to provide them with caves but then sometimes they are so skittish that they hide all the time. I come into the room and i see them dart into the cave.

dont they know how beautiful they are. they should be out strutting there stuff all the time.


Lighting makes a huge difference. If you've got bright lights they generally tend to hide. Since I moved them to the 125gal which only has half of the tank lighted, and the back and sides are black, they are much more active.

In the 300gal there is going to be much more light so I can see them, but there is also going to be much more driftwood and hiding places. Also, going to have bunches of floating fake plants (can't even keep duckweed alive....:ROFL:) and floating driftwood to help make them feel more secure. You should try the floating plants and see how much it helps. Its amazing. :)

[its_an_obsession]

ill have to try that. do u think it will help a super skittish mayan cichlid as well?

[Peanut_Power]

ill have to try that. do u think it will help a super skittish mayan cichlid as well?

UGH!!!! That sucks!! I had a long response and I accidently closed all my browswer windows!!! :irked::ROFL:

Yesh it should help out tremendously!!! In my 300gal all the cichlids and fish are out and about almost constantly. Even the catfish. Its only gotta few floating pieces of driftwood in there, not much for floating plants.

The cheapest place to buy floating plants is Walmart or Hobby Lobby in the arts & craft section. They have plastic/cloth plants that are HUGE!!! They work well for covering the whole surface of the tank, or going from top to bottom in deep tanks. Nice selection as well. :)

OR you could try using hangin plants from the pothos family. DieselMack told me about using them several years ago, so I gave them a try and loved them. They are super easy to keep, and look awesome in the tank and growing down the sides. :)

Walmart normally sells them as do other plant warehouse/greenhouses. They will be potted, so just remove them and shake all the dirt from the roots, then give the a good rinse in slightly warm water. Once you've done that, just hang the roots and some of the stems with leaves in the tank, while draping the rest of the plant on the top or down the sides of the tank.

Some of the leaves may die off/turn yellow, don't be alarmed though. Generally with fairly good lighting they will grow back with gusto. Plus they'll help suck up any excess nutrients in your tank. Now that I think about it, I might try doing that again on the 300gal. :)

The picture attached is similar to the type of plant I've used in the past. I'm sure most any hanging plant would work, although the pothos variety are the only ones I've used.