Johanna in a community, lots of questions....

[DMD123]

Not a total noob to pikes, I had a sveni at one point in my fish keeping but now looking at possibly raising out a johanna.

So here is my info and a buch of questions, lol

I have two cichlids already. A large 14” + female pearsei and a 9” + heterospila, both are pretty mellow fish and the more peaceful of the Central Americans. The bottom of the tank has six lower jaw bichirs ranging from 15-18”. The tank is a 8ft long, 24” wide, 300 gallon show tank with 3 FX6’s and a 36w UV.

So now for the questions...

Looking to maybe order 3 baby Johanna from Wet Spot and grow them out. I am looking to keep just one, the best looking of the bunch, the others will be rehomed. What is their growth rate like? Will they grow out well together or is it typical cichlid dominance where one rules and the others get the beat down? If I decided to keep all three would it work?

And the real big question, what is their agression level? Will it be community friendly with my stock?

Any recommendations also appreciated. Thanks guys

 

[tlindsey]

Not a total noob to pikes, I had a sveni at one point in my fish keeping but now looking at possibly raising out a johanna.

So here is my info and a buch of questions, lol

I have two cichlids already. A large 14” + female pearsei and a 9” + heterospila, both are pretty mellow fish and the more peaceful of the Central Americans. The bottom of the tank has six lower jaw bichirs ranging from 15-18”. The tank is a 8ft long, 24” wide, 300 gallon show tank with 3 FX6’s and a 36w UV.

So now for the questions...

Looking to maybe order 3 baby Johanna from Wet Spot and grow them out. I am looking to keep just one, the best looking of the bunch, the others will be rehomed. What is their growth rate like? Will they grow out well together or is it typical cichlid dominance where one rules and the others get the beat down? If I decided to keep all three would it work?

And the real big question, what is their agression level? Will it be community friendly with my stock?

Any recommendations also appreciated. Thanks guys

mrrobxc

 

[DMD123]

Thanks tlindsey

 

[mrrobxc]

The Johanna are pretty typical and standard in their behavior for lugubris pikes. The ones I’ve had weren’t overly aggressive like lents, and actually grouped together when I got them until they hit about 10”. They started to pair off and a bonded pair decided to claim the tank. They are more likely to fight only if provoked and they can defend themselves but they don’t have a mean streak like some cichlids can have.

They grow at a moderate rate. Not insanely quick like Cichla but faster than fish like geos or severums.

What kind of Johanna are you getting? I had the Peruvian type. Thy were green with a reddish tint to their faces and head. Really liked them when I had them.

 

[DMD123]

Thank you mrrobxc for the info

Im looking at the Crenicichla johanna "Red Pike" "Peru" that Wet Spot currently has.

 

[mrrobxc]

Thank you mrrobxc for the info

Im looking at the Crenicichla johanna "Red Pike" "Peru" that Wet Spot currently has.

Those are the exact ones I had. Good luck!

 

[Gourami Swami]

I kept a 14" johanna in a 6' tank with some other large CA cichlids for a couple years. I can't comment on growth rate or juvenile behavior because I got mine when she was an adult. But as an adult, she was pretty well behaved. She wouldn't take any crap from anyone, but didn't go starting problems. Too lazy to be bothered, I think. She had various tankmates, including some vieja and amphilophus species, and a large ornate bichir. I would say it's a good shot of working out with your stock
Heres my old girl with some of her friends

 

[mrrobxc]

Here’s a quick video of mine and their tank mates.

 

[DMD123]

mrrobxc , thanks for the video. I did see some aggression by the pikes toward a green terror that looked a bit more serious than a simple gill flare which worries me. I have had to rehome quite a few fish due to aggression towards the pearsei. I might just go back to my original thought of a big push over like an oscar to try with my crew.

 

[mrrobxc]

mrrobxc , thanks for the video. I did see some aggression by the pikes toward a green terror that looked a bit more serious than a simple gill flare which worries me. I have had to rehome quite a few fish due to aggression towards the pearsei. I might just go back to my original thought of a big push over like an oscar to try with my crew.

They would put other fish in their place but it wasn’t excessive. That being said, I always built my tanks around the pikes so my definition of acceptable aggression might be different.

The GT’s were later removed and I just kept them with the severums. The tank was a 150 so it was limited and I try to stock my tanks as natural as possible.