Crenicichla Saxatilis Advice Please

[JK47]

I am very new to crenicichla. I have the chance to pick up a very fat and healthy female Crenicichla Saxatilis at about 8" (bigest pink belly I've seen) and have a few questions. Of course most searches says these are very aggressive fish. I can only get the female and have no intentions of breeding them, in this tank anyway.

#1 If I were to just get the lone female, would that cause more aggression of curb it to some degree?
#2 What smaller peaceful fish has other MFK'ers kept with theirs?
#3 How long a 220 gallon tank (72"x24"x30") be sufficient to stock this fish until I needed to upgrade?

I would like to pick this up soon if possible or get this fish out of my head! I sincerely appreciate anyone with experience willing to give some advice.

 

[JK47]

Edit, meant to include the stock:
x1 Hoplarchus Psittacus (8")
x3 Geophagus Abalios (8"-7")
x3 Acarichthys Heckelii (2"-4") I can move these to the 125g if I have to.
x1 Heros Rotkeil (7")
x1 Heros Efasciatus (7")

Can I make this work?

 

[PNWFisherman]

I have a similar size female sax with, 2 female GT 4'', 4 angels 2-3'', 5'' male jag, 2 tiger loaches 4'', 5'' blood parrot, in a 75 gallon tank. I've seen no agression from my pike to any of my fish. I think a pike would do fine in your tank especially a 220. The only time I seen agression from my pike is when I introduced another female sax, which didnt work out to well, they constanly fought I ended giving one of them away.

 

[JK47]

I have a similar size female sax, 2 female GT 4'', 4 angels 2-3'', 5'' male jag, 2 tiger loaches 4'', 5'' blood parrot, in a 75 gallon tank. I've seen no agression from my pike to any of my fish. I think a pike would do fine in your tank especially a 220. The only time I seen agression from my pike is when I introduced another female sax, which didnt work out to well, they constanly fought I ended giving one of them away.

Thank you so much for the feedback! So pikes are less aggressive in the absence of other pikes in your experience? My tank set up is sand substrate lots of DW and very dark water. (tannins)

The female is in a tank at the LFS in with about x20 3" GT and about x20 2-3" firemouths and seems like it could care less about them.

 

[darth pike]

As long as your parrot or heckeli will leave her alone, she should do fine. She may not start fights, but she could end them very quickly. Normally once everyone settles down though, it should be fine.

 

[JK47]

As long as your parrot or heckeli will leave her alone, she should do fine. She may not start fights, but she could end them very quickly. Normally once everyone settles down though, it should be fine.

I will move the heckelii to the 125 if I get her. I was thinking about it anyway since the other fish in that tank are grow outs. The psittacus doesn't start anything but is not alway the first to leave when provoked either.

Do you think the pike torture my abalios? Any advice or things I sould do to the tank if I do get her as far as decor etc...?

 

[PNWFisherman]

Your welcome. Yes they seem much more peaceful when theirs no other pikes in the tank. I have sand and driftwood in mine also, and my pike loves it, they also seem to like tubular structures. They dont seem to mind other fish, as long as it not their own kind.

 

[BigPic]

IMHO - your stock is fine The Hoplarchus is by no means a push over, and, I think that you will find the Heckelii is no slouch in it's own right. A female Sax should be near the end of her growth at 8", the biggest females we found in Uruguay were 9"-10". Any combination of fish has the same chance of working as not, each specific situation can lead to a different outcome. What works for me, may not work for you and vise-versa. It sounds like you have a tank that can be a backup plan and that is a good idea when ever you add new fish to a system, no matter what.

Go for it, just watch and see if it works

 

[darth pike]

A nice long cozy cave will most likely be all she needs to feel secure. She'll keep other fish from her space, but otherwise you shouldn't have issues.

 

[JK47]

IMHO - your stock is fine The Hoplarchus is by no means a push over, and, I think that you will find the Heckelii is no slouch in it's own right. A female Sax should be near the end of her growth at 8", the biggest females we found in Uruguay were 9"-10". Any combination of fish has the same chance of working as not, each specific situation can lead to a different outcome. What works for me, may not work for you and vise-versa. It sounds like you have a tank that can be a backup plan and that is a good idea when ever you add new fish to a system, no matter what.

Go for it, just watch and see if it works

Thanks Ray. I think I am going to go for it. When I get her home I'll get pics for the specific ID. She is very cute, bright gold flakes covering the flanks and a pot belly that is bright pink. Looks like she swallowed a golf ball.