Stocking 155 Bow Front - Compressiceps?

[voss345]

Hi All,

Just picked up a 155 bow recently. The aim is to do a SA Amazonian basin type tank. In the past I have kept some larger crenicichla species, but interested in going dwarf this time around. I have seen a lot of literature online on the species generally, but not much in the way of a guideline for stocking.

I am thinking along the lines on 6-8, and then thinning out the stock if there is a surplus of males.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[darth pike]

While they do well with other fish (large enough to not get their jaws around the head), they can be deadly with each other. Don't be surprised if you end up with a pair without you having to remove anything. They have been known to thin the others even in tanks as long as 10'.

Great fish though, as long as you don't want to keep more than a pair.

 

[Mythic Figment]

I've taken an interest in them as well. What is the best way to go about getting a pair? I would hate to send a whole group to their deaths just to get a pair. How strong is the pair bond? Is it likely that the male or female would kill their partner after bonding?


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[darth pike]

The pair bonds tend to be very strong, like most pike cichlids. The first american that bred them had the pair in a 20 long with no issues, but they were paired in a much larger tank of course.

Pikes don't tend to blind pair as easily as say convicts or kribs do, so getting a group is going to be the best chance at a strong pair. You can (hopefully) avoid deaths by giving them a decent sized tank and a lot of hiding places and ready to pull the ones being targeted. Giving both my experiences and what I've read, you almost want to treat them like mbuna ... slightly overstocked and tons of hiding places.

Also, borrowing an idea from Central keepers ... current. Several of the high current Centrals get even more aggressive than normal when kept in calmer waters. Most of the times I've seen compressiceps kept (my own included), they have been in a mixed SA tank with calmer waters for the discus, angels, geos, apistos, ect. This might be amping up their aggression since they aren't spending a portion of their energy fighting the current.

 

[Mythic Figment]

The pair bonds tend to be very strong, like most pike cichlids. The first american that bred them had the pair in a 20 long with no issues, but they were paired in a much larger tank of course.

Pikes don't tend to blind pair as easily as say convicts or kribs do, so getting a group is going to be the best chance at a strong pair. You can (hopefully) avoid deaths by giving them a decent sized tank and a lot of hiding places and ready to pull the ones being targeted. Giving both my experiences and what I've read, you almost want to treat them like mbuna ... slightly overstocked and tons of hiding places.

Also, borrowing an idea from Central keepers ... current. Several of the high current Centrals get even more aggressive than normal when kept in calmer waters. Most of the times I've seen compressiceps kept (my own included), they have been in a mixed SA tank with calmer waters for the discus, angels, geos, apistos, ect. This might be amping up their aggression since they aren't spending a portion of their energy fighting the current.

Sweet. Thanks for the great advice. I had never thought to use powerheads. Having been a peaceful SA keeper all this time, there really hasn't been a real need for them. But that makes perfect sense that it would help cut down on aggression.

Do you think starting out with 6-8 in a 125 with a bunch of driftwood and clay pot "huts" with the powerheads would work out with little to no deaths? Also, are there any Guianacara, Cryptoheros, Aequidens, Cichlasoma port acaras and/or Andinoacara that could share the 125 temporarily to act as dithers/targets and not be bothered by the current?




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[darth pike]

The powerhead thing is a recent thought, after reading up on some of the Centrals. All my tanks lack current normally as well due to the same focus on SA cichlids. Not sure how much the acaras and such will like the current, but the same would be good I would think.

Oddly enough, except at feeding time and his own personal cave, my compressiceps left my dwarf acaras alone so not sure how well the others would act as target fish until the actual pairing started to occur.