Jumpin Junipers!
- Thread starter Peanut_Power
- Start date
Peanut_Power;4836518; said:
Jer,
Nah, forget it. AquaLog is not always so good for ID. What are the species with which you have narrowed your mystery pikes to possibly be?
With all of this talk of the mystery fish I forgot to compliment you on your lents. Seriously, those are some of the nicest lents that I have seen. I should really get back in the game
Congrats on having such a nice selection of pikes!!
--Brian
Brian ~ Here you can SEE the difference between these pikes and the sp. 'xingu II' that I had several years ago. . . . which is why I am not entirely certain on their ID. Unfortunately I only have one picture of them as subadults. 
Mystery Pikes
Crenicichla sp. 'xingu II'
Having kept both, I notice the differences pretty easily. Cr. sp. 'xingu II' had a 'ringed' humeral blotch from juv. till almost adult. You can see it still slightly on the one on the left. They are also more elongated, almost like Acutirostris group pikes. They had the bands all the way down their back, especially when pissed. The suborbital marking and lack of spots on the head is also very noticeable. Finally, the caudal spot is PLAINLY ringed.
As adults they were more vivid in coloration as well.
Here is one more picture of my dominant sp. 'xingu II' flaring at my lent I had a long time ago (sp. xingu II on left, lent on right). As you can see, they still have the humeral blotch, although its not ringed any more. The eyes are red now, and the suborbital mark is still there. Like I stated before, the colorations is more intense. Sad thing is that this used to be a video, but now it does not work. Bummer.
So. . .from these pictures, I'm going to make a gander and say they aren't sp. 'xingu II'.
Mystery Pikes
Crenicichla sp. 'xingu II'
Having kept both, I notice the differences pretty easily. Cr. sp. 'xingu II' had a 'ringed' humeral blotch from juv. till almost adult. You can see it still slightly on the one on the left. They are also more elongated, almost like Acutirostris group pikes. They had the bands all the way down their back, especially when pissed. The suborbital marking and lack of spots on the head is also very noticeable. Finally, the caudal spot is PLAINLY ringed.
As adults they were more vivid in coloration as well.
Here is one more picture of my dominant sp. 'xingu II' flaring at my lent I had a long time ago (sp. xingu II on left, lent on right). As you can see, they still have the humeral blotch, although its not ringed any more. The eyes are red now, and the suborbital mark is still there. Like I stated before, the colorations is more intense. Sad thing is that this used to be a video, but now it does not work. Bummer.
So. . .from these pictures, I'm going to make a gander and say they aren't sp. 'xingu II'.
Jer,
Thank you for posting the photos and your added information. Having dedicated 15+ years of my fishkeeping experience to almost only peacock bass, I will be the first to admit that my cichlidgeekiness has suffered greatly in the areas of other species and genera. That said, I always had a very strong interest in pike cichlids from an early age, but chose to focus on peacock bass instead. Many of you know the success that I have had with Cichla, and many of you also know the failures I have endured as well.
Moving on......I was fortunate to see several dozen Xingu II imported fresh from Brazil several times over a period of maybe 3-5 years. That was so long ago, however, that the time period is just a blur now. All were fresh imports and only a handful were retained by a "then friend" for a breeding project. Of course, that never happened.
The mystery pike that you have now and the real Xingu II that you had a while back are not the same fish. I hesitate to say that with such a cocky certainty, and I hate to say that even more so based on a few photos. I apologize for that, as I am really not trying to be a jerk. Please know that I have never seen Xingu II with such heavy spotting in the face and nape region at such a late stage regardless of maturity and what not. There is another reason for my statement, but that will be through PM. I hope you understand.
Now, in reality I have to admit that it appears as though from early on in the ID game there would be a certain level of disappointment if these pike turned out to be something 'common.' That is a shame in and of itself. They are beautiful specimens and there is no doubt that you can grow some seriously nice show-quality fishes! Your lents, for example, are really the nicest lents that I have ever seen.
Ok, well that's all I have for now. I will reply to your PMs here shortly.
Cheers,
--Brian
Thank you for posting the photos and your added information. Having dedicated 15+ years of my fishkeeping experience to almost only peacock bass, I will be the first to admit that my cichlidgeekiness has suffered greatly in the areas of other species and genera. That said, I always had a very strong interest in pike cichlids from an early age, but chose to focus on peacock bass instead. Many of you know the success that I have had with Cichla, and many of you also know the failures I have endured as well.
Moving on......I was fortunate to see several dozen Xingu II imported fresh from Brazil several times over a period of maybe 3-5 years. That was so long ago, however, that the time period is just a blur now. All were fresh imports and only a handful were retained by a "then friend" for a breeding project. Of course, that never happened.
The mystery pike that you have now and the real Xingu II that you had a while back are not the same fish. I hesitate to say that with such a cocky certainty, and I hate to say that even more so based on a few photos. I apologize for that, as I am really not trying to be a jerk. Please know that I have never seen Xingu II with such heavy spotting in the face and nape region at such a late stage regardless of maturity and what not. There is another reason for my statement, but that will be through PM. I hope you understand.
Now, in reality I have to admit that it appears as though from early on in the ID game there would be a certain level of disappointment if these pike turned out to be something 'common.' That is a shame in and of itself. They are beautiful specimens and there is no doubt that you can grow some seriously nice show-quality fishes! Your lents, for example, are really the nicest lents that I have ever seen.
Ok, well that's all I have for now. I will reply to your PMs here shortly.
Cheers,
--Brian
Cichlidgeek;4839834; said:
Indeed, I have to agree. They definitely aren't sp. 'xingu II', and are most likely sp. 'venezuela' or some sort of variant of such. Expensive sp. 'venezuela' at that!
Until someone can prove otherwise thats what I am going to label them as, Crenicichla sp. 'venezuela'. Doesn't mean its right, and you should take it with a grain of salt. If someone disagrees state your claim, don't be afraid to state what you think, the more opinions the better.
Again, thanks for your honesty and straightforwardness Brian, tis appreciated.
Ha, thanks. If I ever decide to get rid of them I'll look you up aight?
Was tempted to sell them at my clubs fish auction, but I doubt I would get more than $20 for them. *grumbles*
Was tempted to sell them at my clubs fish auction, but I doubt I would get more than $20 for them. *grumbles*
Peanut_Power;4842368; said:
I'll give you $25 each
.Those are great fish. You need to finish growing them up and see if you can get a more definitive ID or some breeding behavior out of them.
I almost bought another pike yesterday. I think it was a nice female saxatilis, about 6", with a nice, fat, pink belly.
