Crenicichla tendybaguassu

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Nice! Thats really random that you got them in yet you know very little about pikes! LoL! Very cool!

Not much is really known about them, they are totally cool pikes though. I think they are in the missionera family, but I could be wrong. Gorgeous pikes 100%! Love their lips! Pretty much what you see right now is what they will look like as adults. Maybe a little more orange/yellow on them, and bigger lips.

I'm not even really sure how to sex them to be honest with you. Perhaps a spot in the dorsal or some other characteristic that distinguishes them. Check the belly and the dorsal for differences, those will be your two best bets.

As for breeding, keep that pH and hardness down low. Those are the two most important things. Some people think conditioning them with live foods helps some too, but its all ones opinion. There will be some aggression amongst them as they get more settled in and the fish start pairing up as well.

Best of luck with them! They are indeed awesome and rare pikes! If you decide to let some go be sure to give us Crenicichlaholics a heads up! ;)
 
I have had them a few weeks. They are doing very well on both prepared and live foods. I been a die hard piranha hobbyist for 7 years and have learned a lot about aggressive fish cohabitating together in an aquarium. When they were 1st acclimated they were crazy. They chased and nipped at each other. They opened their mouths flared their gills and actually locked mouths. I can’t keep feeder fish in the tank. If I were to feed just feeders they would eat 60 rosies every 2 days.
I have been treating them like wild piranhas and it has pretty much stopped all aggression. They get 2 small feedings a day. Chopped shrimp with spirulina sticks or worm sticks shoved inside the food. I’m trying to give them a high protein value in their food and keep their little bellies full.

They were collected in the Uruguay River Basin in Northern Argentina. I talk to the supplier and exporter at least every couple days and they have really assisted me in getting these fish acclimated. In Argentina they were on a diet of chopped beef heart. I have fed them that a few times, but I think my loaded shrimp is even higher in protein and vitamins.

I have heard you were the guy to assist me Peanut_Power. Is there any information about their size at sexual maturity? Most of the information I find has these pikes as staying small and almost being a dwarf pike cichlid.

PS.. They are growing fast and starting to get more reds and oranges in the gill and tail area.
 
Nice! One of my MUST haves. The only other person I know has kept them is Vin Kutty.

serrasalmus_collector said:
Most of the information I find has these pikes as staying small and almost being a dwarf pike cichlid.
Click to expand...
The largest specimen from their original description was a male at 152.4mm.

Good luck with them, they seem like very interesting and unique fish. If you ever decide to sell them, I'll take them.

Ed
 
Very rare. very special. heard they are the most active and aggresive pike--nonstop action. Can't wait to ehar more about your experience with them---please keep us posted with info/pics!
 
edburress;4212414; said:
Nice! One of my MUST haves. The only other person I know has kept them is Vin Kutty.


The largest specimen from their original description was a male at 152.4mm.

Good luck with them, they seem like very interesting and unique fish. If you ever decide to sell them, I'll take them.

Ed
Click to expand...

I am confused:wall: Perhaps that's a type I don't know. Everything I find on the species say 15.2 is the maximum size... Just about 6 inches. Here is the description on fish base. Please don't tell me this fish will reach 60 inches...http://fishbase.mnhn.fr/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=46915

So far they are doing great. I will post new pics and some feeding videos very soon. They are very hardy eaters and eat until they are swollen like a balloon. BUt in the morning they are slim and ready for tons more food. I am concerned about the PH that was mentioned earlier, because conductivity breeding will be my 1st tactic for this wild South American fish that spawns in the rainy season. Most information relayed to me from the collector is that they come from a Neutral PH river system that is very deep and fast running water.

This is a study on the water chemisty parameters from the area this fish was collected. It correlates to the collectors words.

Analysis​
Sample III Sample 3 Sample II Sample 2 Sample I Sample 1​

pH 7.46 7.36 7.60 7.55 7.66 7.54
Conductivity 86 84 82 89 95 84
Inorganic P 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.06 0.03
SO​
4
= n.d. n.d n.d. n.d. n.d. n.d.
NO3
- 0.32 0.55 0.23 0.41 0.30 0.41​

Cl- n.d. n.d n.d. n.d. n.d. n.d.

The PDF file for the document can be found here.
http://www.greencross.org.ar/downloads/gualeguaychu/ANALYSIS OF WATER SAMPLES TAKEN.pdf

Sorry I'm new and can't upload PDF files...I may be new to pikes, but not new to breeding exotic fish that are highly agressive...

 
Sorry my mistake.. we were both metric.. You were MM and I was centimeters.. Sorry I read to fast and didn't realized the different scale of measurments.... I am still confused on a PH for breeding... I will probably wait until November, or December when they naturally breed in the wild, and hope the magnetic change from being on the onther side of the equator doesn't screw with them.
 
Crenicichla are a pain to breed generally anyway. It can be done, but it normally requires a little more work. The main problem is finding the trigger and getting pairs out of them. If you can pull that off, you should be alright.

Definitely drop your pH low, and get your hardness as low as possible also. Rainwater with peat is probably going to be your best bet. Conditioning them on live foods like earthworms and rosies reds would also help you out greatly, but not necessary per say. Pellets still give them a well balanced diet, and they still seem to be willing to breed.

Best of luck to you man, you are writing the book so to say with them since noone else has kept them that we know of aside from Vinny. Might want to check him out. Look up
' Mostly Cichlids ' on Google. Should take you to his page. Great guy, tons of info on pikes! :)

As for the size, I wouldn't go by what is off the internet, you have the fish, grow them out and see for yourself. I would imagine they are in the 6 to 8" range though. :)
 
Wow!!! Must be nice!!!!!
 
I would bet that dropping the ph way down won't help at all, if these are anything like the rest of the pikes from Uruguay and the neighbouring part of Argentina, the ph is more neutral and above. That is what makes the pikes from this area so special, they come from water parameters that more people can attain, the chance of spawning these fish is way better, just work on the condition of them and try different triggers, I would bet temperature is a key one for the Tendies :D
 
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