tell me about pike

[killerfish]

well i just now started seeing them and there are some great looking ones so first do pike have teeth , also i've heard that thay are pretty aggressive is this true also i think i want one is there a pretty one that can live in a 40 gallon breeder with or without tankmates and is pretty easy to find and dosen't cost alot thanks

 

[killerfish]

or is there a pike that can live in a 55 with a jack dempsy and some other fish

 

[Taz2478]

1 friend had a 55 with breeding red devils and a johanna in a 55.

for a 40 look for dwarf pike like compressiceps, lepidota, notophthalmus and regani.

 

[killerfish]

ok thanks what about tankmates

 

[robmcd]

ok thanks what about tankmates

anything pretty much EXCEPT other pikes. Also if yer pike is at the top of the pecking order with its tankmates its gonna look a lot prettier than if it was kept with say,, an angry little festae (all of them are) or any of the usual antisocials. Stress isnt great for their complection.

 

[maxxximus87]

keep in mind that they are more predatory then territorial, as far as aggresion is concerned. Mine only bothered the fish that he ate; florida gar, 3 butterfly fish, almost ate a salvini, marbled pike characin. My oscar on the other hand would put a beating on him every once in a while.

 

[Peanut_Power]

Hey! How yaz doing! Do you live close to Denver? If you do, you are in luck! MikesKillerFish in Denver is a very reputable and unique LFS. He regularly has in many species of Crenicichla, from the common to the rarities.

Crenicichla DO have teeth. They aren't as prominant as those in piranha or ATF, but they are there. If you've ever been nailed by one or looked inside their mouths you would clearly see this. There are numerous, small teeth on both their lower and upper jaw. Reason for this is pikes are HIGHLY predatory, so they need to have teeth so that they can hold onto their slippery, fast prey of choice, fish.

Depending on the species of pike that you have, they can be between mellow to extraordinarily aggressive. Generally speaking though they are in the middle when it comes to terms of aggression. They aren't like most other cichlids, and can be challenging/rewardin to keep. One thing you will have to have is patience.

Without tankmates, in a 40gal tank, the best bet for you would be to get some sort of Saxatilis pike. Crenicichla anthurus is probably the best one to get as they are very attractive as adults. Only downside is they are not really that common. Crenicichla sveni, Crenicichla lucius, Crenicichla lepodita, Crenicichla saxatilis, Crenicichla proteus and Crenicichla fretena are some of the other ones that are available from time to time. They normally max. out between 10 to 12". HTHs...

 

[killerfish]

keep in mind that they are more predatory then territorial, as far as aggresion is concerned. Mine only bothered the fish that he ate; florida gar, 3 butterfly fish, almost ate a salvini, marbled pike characin. My oscar on the other hand would put a beating on him every once in a while.

just what i wanted i love predatory and if thay arn't that aggressive then i could get one for my 120 if thay can live with my polys and others but yah mikeskillerfish is what made me want one he had some dwarfs i really wish i would of gotten hes store is about an hour and a half drive from my house so its alittle far but well worth the trip also i heard thay jump really well is this true and he had one pike that looked sick but was ok and he said it was the only one in the country i think he said someone else had one but i could of swarn he said it was in china or something like that

 

[Taz2478]

ok thanks what about tankmates

in the 40 with dwarfs you could prob do Cories for the bottom and/or some kind of gymnogeophagus like rhabdotus or meridionalis.

he had one pike that looked sick but was ok and he said it was the only one in the country i think he said someone else had one but i could of swarn he said it was in china or something like that

was this it?

Neo has/had one. pics are in the photo lounge.

 

[Peanut_Power]

just what i wanted i love predatory and if thay arn't that aggressive then i could get one for my 120 if thay can live with my polys and others but yah mikeskillerfish is what made me want one he had some dwarfs i really wish i would of gotten hes store is about an hour and a half drive from my house so its alittle far but well worth the trip also i heard thay jump really well is this true and he had one pike that looked sick but was ok and he said it was the only one in the country i think he said someone else had one but i could of swarn he said it was in china or something like that

Definately not the only one in the US. You gotta be skeptical when people say that, because someone somewhere probably has one. I've seen them offered many times from Rapps, as well as a couple of other sites. They are reportedly hard to keep alive for some reason...so i would advice against it. His marmoratas and atabapo are nice though...

Def. don't get the dwarves unless they are going into a nonpredatory tank. They literally don't get above 5", so that would limit what you could keep them with.