thank you/curse you

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
bbortko

bbortko

Polypterus
MFK Member
Mar 3, 2010
3,167
222
96
Northwest, Indiana
Since I have a 11" pleco that I may be loosing and my wife is watching the Oscars I decided to view the official like photo shoot for a hour. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the thread over years, but at the same time I must curse some of you as well. I was under the impression that the sax group was my only options but after seeing a few pics of lug. group tank mates, I'm more confused then ever. My current setup is a 125 with geo iporangensis(comparable to firemouths in size and aggression), rotkeil severum, acarichthys heckellii and silver dollars. What if any of the lug group can work? Especially interested in Johanna and xingu I.

Thanks
 
I had lenticulata in a 210 gallon but they dominated the tank, and were pushy with my severums. Actually, they were pushy with everything, but the severums never pushed back and so they caught the brunt of the chasing and aggression. I didn't experience deaths, but I did eventually have to re-home the pikes because everything was constantly on edge and stressed out.

How many fish do you already have in the tank? Geos, Acarichthys, and silver dollars can easily fill up a 125 by themselves. You might need a tank upgrade if you want to add an aggressive 12"+ fish.
 
4 iporangensis, 3 silver dollars, 1 rotkeil and 1 heckelli
 
Tank size might be the source of confusion since you can't really determine tank size from a closeup picture.
 
Reason it was suggested to go with a Sax. type pike is because they are generally more 'community' friendly in comparison to Lugubris group pikes. Thats not saying that Lugubris group pikes won't work, but there is a great chance there will be a few beat up fish, skittish fish, or at the very least your heckelii won't have nice trailers. haha.

If you do get a Lugubris pike, try to go with johanna if possible. They are a gorgeous pike, fairly cheap, and generally not too horribly aggressive.
 
^ In addition to what Jeremy said, the Saxatilis pikes would probably stay smaller than the lugubris pikes, and for your tank that might be the better choice. You'd be amazed at how quickly an adult lugubris pike can get from one end of a 6' tank to the other. :D Speedy, powerful, and aggressive.

I'd go with the Saxatilis, but I'm partial because my Saxatilis is my favorite pike in my house.
 
Good points and insight. After seeing all the pics I got a bit curious as to other options but snapshots don't tell the real story of the atmosphere in the tank. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a saxatilis, Proteus, or lucious.
 
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