Pikes with SA/CA Cichlids?

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Aqualoon

Aqualoon

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 8, 2009
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Minnesota
Just got my 150 over the weekend and now I'm trying to come up with a stocklist. I want something that you don't see many of and pikes came to mind.

Is there a species of pike that would do well in a 150 (I know not very wide for these guys) with SA/CA cichlids? I don't have a concrete stock list but the one fish I want for sure is a GT.
 
Pikes are aggressive, but mainly to other pikes. so it would workout just dont get anything overly aggresive like dovii or umbee.
 
i think it would work fine i have mine with oscar and gt
 
ive kept pikes with other sa/ca cichlids. mostly best to keep some of the most aggressive sa/ca cichlids off the stocklist, something like a managuense comes to my mind.

also your going to have the best results getting them as babies and growing them up together.
 
Awesome!! Glad that you are considering adding Crenicichla to your stock list!!! They are absolutely fantabulous fish, and can be overly addicting. :)

A 150gal tank will work out superbly for a tank of SA/CA cichlids. Its large enough that they can get away from each other comfortably, and still have plenty of room to grow. Most of us Crenicichlaholics keep our pikes in tanks around the 125gal range, so thats more than sufficient.

What type of pike are you lookin for? Are you wanting more aggressive? More laid back? Super colorful, or just interesting?

There are definitely so many different types of pikes out there its overwhelming. But thats what makes them so well rounded, is because there is almost always one that is ideal for a setup. :)

Your main problem is going to be trying to find a specific pike once you've gotten it narrowed down to which one you are wanting. There are at best a dozen or so species available at any given time, some species being harder to find than others. To make things more difficult, you are probably goin to want to find some that are in the 2" to 4" range, as it will be easier to grow them up with other fish that way.

Regardless of which species of pike you get, chances are they will become the dominant fish of the tank, and quickly the main focus of the tank as well. Haha. Don't be surprised if you quickly want to start setting up tanks SPECIFICALLY just for Crenicichla, or the main focus being on them.

There are two main groups of pikes readily available, the Lugubris group, which are generally the larger, more aggressive, and colorful of the pike genus. Then there are the Saxatilis group pikes which are medium sized, fairly less aggressive, yet still rather attractive. There are also a few of the dwarf group of pikes, and even a few Reticulata group as well.

Some pikes to look into would be:

From the Lugubris group:

Crenicichla sp. 'atabapo I'
Crenicichla sp. 'atabapo II'
Crenicichla johanna
Crenicichla lenticulata
Crenicichla marmorata
Crenicichla sp. 'xingu I'

From the Saxatilis group:

Crenicichla lucius
Crenicichla sveni
Crenicichla alta
Crenicichla anthurus
Crenicichla lepidota

There are several places you can acquire these fish at, but I'll give you a few of the best.

www.tangledupincichlids.com (Jeff Rapps)
www.aquabid.com

You'll just have to look around and see if there are any that tickle your fancy. :) There are many many more pikes out there, I just barely scratched the surface. So if you don't see one you like, keep looking. :) Any more questions, feel free to ask. :D
 
good info. i might be getting my first pair of crenichla if my lfs still have em. my tt eel has been attacking my oscars a lot lately so i might have to sell him along with my bala shark pair. they are mostly red and orange color any id?
 
Peanut_Power;3420706; said:
Probably sp. 'xingu I'. :)
Click to expand...
yup thats the one. are these any good with oscars or angels? if not ima buy something else.
 
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