still researching my big tank, found out that the pike cichlids usually stay on the bottom so i thought i would ask here, question is, in a 8'x4'x4' tank will a pike cichlid get along with a giraffe catfish and a tiger striped catfish? also could you put a royal clown knife in that bottom dwelling mix?
compatible?
- Thread starter hammy and waf
- Start date
Pike chiclid = pure evil, girafe cat = to big to eat, Tigrinus/tsn (if that is what you mean) will outgrow and possibly eat the pike, Clown knife could have a bit of a temper and may eat the pike when bigger but extremely fragile when young and a easy prey for an agro pike..
so plan the sizes well if it gonna work.. hope it helps..
so plan the sizes well if it gonna work.. hope it helps..
ettfettbranamn;1695267; said:
Its descriptions like that that give pikes their bad rep. I don't think pikes are pure evil, nor are they any more aggressive than most other SA/CA cichlids. Conspecifically they can be a bugger, but that too is managable. Pikes are awesome fish that definately need more respect and appreciation than they get.
About the pikes just hanging on the bottom, thats only partially true. LoL. There are some species of pikes that have an atrophied swimbladders which make it 'difficult' for them to swim, so they mostly just chill on the bottom. Not all pikes are like this though!!! Most pikes are active predators that check out all levels of the tank, and are very inquisitive.
When kept in the right setting, where they feel comforatable and secure, they can be some of the most active fish in the tank.
About your tank, well, it would be AWESOME for pikes. You could have several species in a tank that size, possibly more, who knows. About the tankmates, generally Pims (the larger cats like Tiger Shovel, Red Tail, Tigrinis) are out. They grow to large, and can easily make a meal out of a full grown pike. There are other options though. Megaladoras, Niger, Lima, and various other Cats make great tankmates, and still get large. The clown knife would definately be out in the long run.
Hope that helps some!! If you have any more questions please ask!!!