feeding juvenile pike

[bathawk]

I have what I beleive is a juvenile pike of the lugubris group I feed daily a varied diet of sometimes live frozen and cichlid pellets but I want this pike to keep a long torpedo shape and not become a fatty like my proteus pike how often do I feed as a juvenile and then as an adult pike so I can keep it in good hape

 

[1 2many]

You are correct you do have a pike from the lugubris family. I would continue to feed a varied diet twice a day until it reaches 8-9” then reduce feedings to once a day until it reaches 12”. After that a fully grown pike will only need 2-3 appropriate sized feedings per week. Stay on top of weekly water changes. Poor water quality is the biggest detriment to this fish long term health.

 

[Rocksor]

Feed only once a day, everyday until it shows its adult colors (either all grey or yellow faced with grey body, maybe pink in the belly). If you want to keep the torpedo shape have a wavemaker of at least 1500 gph so that it is swimming against the current for periods of the day for 30 minutes to 1 hour, several times a day. Their natural habitat consists of a high flow area that requires snorkelers to hold on to branches in order to stay still and watch swimming pikes.

Once it hits 10" no more than twice a week of pellets, maybe 3 times a week of frozen food, or twice a week of feeding with pellet frozen combo on different days. You can do this at 2 years of age. After 5 years of age no more than once a week (pellets once or twice a month). Feeding 3 times a week past 2 years will certainly make your pike fat.

Lack of swimming against a current will make your pike fat. The only pikes that hardly swim against a current are in the dwarf pike family.

Also, those marking are indicative that your pike is around 1 years of age.

 

[tlindsey]

Their natural habitat consists of a high flow area that requires snorkelers to hold on to branches in order to stay still and watch swimming pikes.

Wow that definitely explains that sleek shape.

 

[bathawk]

wow ok at the moment I have a small fluval filter stuck to the side and has quite strong flow for its size have noticed it swimming in the flow would a power head a good as a wave maker as I have a few lieing around

 

[Rocksor]

wow ok at the moment I have a small fluval filter stuck to the side and has quite strong flow for its size have noticed it swimming in the flow would a power head a good as a wave maker as I have a few lieing around

Additional powerheads will work, make sure to keep only a few spots for it to rest during the day, and turn off the additional powerheads at dusk.

 

[bathawk]

ok thats great

 

[bathawk]

would these pikes be from a clear water area if they come from rivers with high flow I do have some tannins in the water from some fresh bog wood I had placed in the aquarium.

 

[Rocksor]

would these pikes be from a clear water area if they come from rivers with high flow I do have some tannins in the water from some fresh bog wood I had placed in the aquarium.

Sp Venezuela more likely come from clear water due to them being more gray and less seen by predators due to their coloration. The red pikes, which contain multiple species, come from really brown dark blackwater conditions. Black water conditions do still have quite a bit of high flow as well. The clear water conditions are more neutral in ph and have a total dissolved level less than 250ppm.

Don't worry about the tannins though. Tannins were scientifically proven to reduce stress levels even in hardwater high ph dwelling fish (swordtails).

 

[1 2many]

The majority of Sp. Venezuela are collected from the Orinoco basin which I think might actually be whitewater. Regardless tannins from the driftwood is quite beneficial. After a number of water changes you should notice the usual clearwater again