Chain pickerel?

[KiiNGGiiNGER]

Would a young chain pickerel work in a large tank full of SA cichlid, bichirs and large geophagus? Love the little guys but don't know what they are like in a tank.

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[divemaster99]

I wouldn't mix them with cichlids, they can be fragile when young.

 

[Siddons11]

Awesome fish. Mine would attack the glass when I put my finger on it. Ate everything that hit the water. I wouldn't recommend cichlids though.

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[MN_Rebel]

I wouldn't even house a pickerel with any aggressive or super actively tankmates. Made this mistake when I housed YOY northerns with young green sunfish. Lost all northern.

 

[KiiNGGiiNGER]

I mean none of my cichlids are super aggressive (big baby oscar) but I guess Ill hold off for now, are they just easily spooked? And thanks for the info guys

 

[MN_Rebel]

I won't feel comfortable to house a pickerel with Oscars and bichirs. Oscars most likely will pick on the pickerel. Yes they are easily spooked.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

they are easily spooked by fast moving tankmates that they cant eat, plus they constantly move their fins making them targets for bitey fish like cichlids.

as for the bichirs it would probably be ok for a while...but if the pickerel is really small I wouldn't risk the possibility of a bichir snipe.

in all pickerels really only do well with a couple of their own species or lazy bottom dwelling tankmates that cant swallow them lol.
my red fin pickerel isn't skiddish of me, but hes alone in a 55L

 

[davenmandy]

Excuse my ignorance, but don't you have to keep them in lower temps? Lower than the cichlids i mean, I heard they don't do well in too hot water.

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[Siddons11]

I kept mine at 78f. In the wild they hang out in the very shallow edges of the water near vegetation where it's warm during the summer. So I believe they can handle warm and cold.

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[predatorkeeper87]

they are pretty forgiving when it comes to temperature.

like Siddons said, all 3 species tend to hang in shallow water in the vegetation lurking, and around here the shallows get around 80 degrees at times. Alternately red fins are common in creeks and streams where the temps can dip to 60-65 so they have a wide range of tolerance. Mine is fine whether the tank temp is 65 or 80, he just floats and waits for the next feeder to be dropped in lol.