New compressiceps, my first crenicichla.

[magpie]

Most of you don't know me as I'm one of those Poly weirdos.

I recently moved to a new city and took down my mostly poly tank. I kept a 20 long. I plan to get a big tank eventually and crenicichla are on my list (Zebrina in particular is a dream fish of mine). But in the meantime I came across a compressiceps today and thought that he'd (she?) be a fun addition for now.

After introducing to the tank he hid for about 30 seconds and then began to immediately explore. Ate dinner a few hours later! Really happy about my new addition. Love how they move in a deliberate, somewhat jerky pattern until they see something they want to eat, then it's a flash and a chomp.

My first pike cichlid. I don't think my last based on my fondness already.

ETA: What do you consider a nice complete diet for these guys?

 

[kno4te]

Nice addition magpie . I enjoy pike cichlids. Used to keep a large group regani and compressiceps.

A good pellet or flake with a mix is preferred. Like a nls cichlid sinking pellet.

 

[tlindsey]

Nice Compressiceps! Where did you get it from?

 

[Gourami Swami]

Beautiful little pike you've got there. Crenicichla are a great fish to keep. I feed mine freeze dried krill and hikari cichlid gold. Like suggested, pellet is the best staple, with some meaty frozen or freeze dried food as treats.

 

[magpie]

Nice addition magpie . I enjoy pike cichlids. Used to keep a large group regani and compressiceps.

A good pellet or flake with a mix is preferred. Like a nls cichlid sinking pellet.

Great, I already have NLS sinking... but I think it's a community pellet not cichlid. I do have a good flake.

Nice Compressiceps! Where did you get it from?

Thanks! I got it from my new LFS, which is small but has a nice selection and their fish are nice and healthy, tanks have plants, branches, rocks etc. Happy to have a good local place, plus they let me have pond/ramshorn snails for the puffer. (Working on getting a snail colony going in a 5 gallon.)
They have a large and really nice WC endli, large ornate, and a small TR Koliba right now too. Still unless that Endli is still there when I get my large tank I'll probably go through Toyin. Or maybe these guys will order through him for me? Not sure how that works.

Beautiful little pike you've got there. Crenicichla are a great fish to keep. I feed mine freeze dried krill and hikari cichlid gold. Like suggested, pellet is the best staple, with some meaty frozen or freeze dried food as treats.

Thank you! I had those pellets for the polys but they were the larger grain. I'll pick up some smaller ones for him. I got some frozen mysis shrimp, we'll see if he likes that too. I also have frozen krill. Last night he gorged himself on bloodworms.


Is this a male or female, and if you can tell, how can you tell?

 

[kno4te]

Flake will work as well. Just want some food with some plant material in it. What’s already mentioned will work.

 

[Rocksor]

NLS community will be fine. I prefer NLS algaemax for "greens". I would personally stay away from Hikari because of excessive grains. Be careful with overfeeding pikes, they have a tendency to get fat. They should be streamlined perfectly like torpedo and not oblong like a football.

Vin Kutty, an expert in crenicichla, feeds his pikes 4 times a week with frozen meaty food (not mammal meat) OR 3 times a week with pellet food.

 

[tlindsey]

Great, I already have NLS sinking... but I think it's a community pellet not cichlid. I do have a good flake.


Thanks! I got it from my new LFS, which is small but has a nice selection and their fish are nice and healthy, tanks have plants, branches, rocks etc. Happy to have a good local place, plus they let me have pond/ramshorn snails for the puffer. (Working on getting a snail colony going in a 5 gallon.)
They have a large and really nice WC endli, large ornate, and a small TR Koliba right now too. Still unless that Endli is still there when I get my large tank I'll probably go through Toyin. Or maybe these guys will order through him for me? Not sure how that works.


Thank you! I had those pellets for the polys but they were the larger grain. I'll pick up some smaller ones for him. I got some frozen mysis shrimp, we'll see if he likes that too. I also have frozen krill. Last night he gorged himself on bloodworms.


Is this a male or female, and if you can tell, how can you tell?

Tbh don't know but this may help

 

[magpie]

Flake will work as well. Just want some food with some plant material in it. What’s already mentioned will work.

Great, my flake has spirulina.
I also have "bug bites" which is an insect based pellet.

NLS community will be fine. I prefer NLS algaemax for "greens". I would personally stay away from Hikari because of excessive grains. Be careful with overfeeding pikes, they have a tendency to get fat. They should be streamlined perfectly like torpedo and not oblong like a football.

Vin Kutty, an expert in crenicichla, feeds his pikes 4 times a week with frozen meaty food (not mammal meat) OR 3 times a week with pellet food.

Thank you! I'll keep that in mind. I feed all of my fish every other day excepting the puffer - he gets food nearly daily but I can feed him snails which no one else gets other than a few nibbles from his mess.

I typically feed a mix of prepared and frozen so sounds like I don't have to change much.

Tbh don't know but this may help

I don't see anything...? Now that I am quoting you I see it's a youtube link. Let me see if I can search it by what it shows me here.

EDIT - weird, it shows in my quote but not in your original post on my computer...?

 

[magpie]

Looks like the males have stripes in the anal fin where females don't.

So I believe mine is a male then?