Xingu I Pike

[Pirwhana]

I got what was called an Orange pike cichlid. Is a 55 gal going to be big enough for him? Is feeding him beefheart a good regular diet? He doesn't like floating pellet food. Is there any other pike that is an orange pike? He is only 3" long and identification is exhausting..... I ask a TON of questions so sorry if I am annoying.....

 

[ShadowStryder]

Orange Pike is Xingu I. Nice pike females are very colorful. It will do for quite a while. I had one back in mid 90's for about 4 yrs. 10-11"with a couple of other cichlids. Biggest thing is keep up water quality and Heavy filtration. Will definitely be OK if using just for a grow out tank.

 

[Pirwhana]

How about for long term? Would a 75 gal be good? I do water changes on sunday and wednesday 10 gal each day. I have an Emperor 400 for filtration. Any other tips or suggestions??

 

[ShadowStryder]

I would do at least a third in your water change. Pikes tend to be suseptable to HITH ( hole in the head disease) and a lot of people attribute it to pure water quality, they like clean water.It should be fine in a 75 Just don't overstock. Xingu I tend to remain alot slenderer than some of the other pikes. Lents for instance get very robust and they reach about the same size.
I would definitely consider a second filter that way when you clean one the other biological filtration remains strong then next time do they other.( Alternate cleaning them) Plus if one fails you always have one for a backup. Never can have to much filtration.

 

[rasdbo]

great pike when young - bright orange with black stripes, definite killer will eat live foods: grass shrimp,worms,guppies,rosies and anything else that smaller and he thinks can fit in mouth. loves frozen: brine shrimp,bloodworms,silversides and will grow to like pellets and flakes once it gets trained on them. the problem is very aggressive, will go through at least 3-4 different color changes and looks drab or bland when older much better looking at a young age. 75g to 125g will be good and with proper water changes and power feeding will grow rather quickely. maxes out at about 12-16"'s and one trick about pikes is always after a big meal starve them for a day so as they can digest their food properly because they will eat themselves to death because their eyes are bigger then their stomachs!!!

 

[Horiyoshi III]

Yeah,what rasdbo said is pretty much it.....and yeah they do look like his,see.......Oh,anybody notice my PSG above the pike in one of the pics?

 

[Peanut_Power]

Great lookin pikes you guys! Awesome photos!!

About the 55gal being large enough for the xingu I...answer is negatory! You are gonna need a larger tank in about 6 months. So plan accordingly...

About the feeding issue, I'd be carefull feeding your fish beef heart, as its not a natural food for them, is pretty fatty, and if your not careful, could cause bloat. Top that off with the fact that its messy and quickly can cloud your water and foul your tank, I just don't use it. There are many many better things out there for you to use. Varied diet is the best.

Personally, I love using pellets if i can get my fish onto them. I use a wide variety of pellets when possible, but if the fish prefer certain types I'll stick with those. The ones that I've found to work out best are:

Hikari Sinking Carnivour Pellets
Hikari Marine -A- (sinkin pellets)
Omega One Super Color
Omega One Super Veggie
New Life Spectrum

Just to name a few. There are quite a few others that i use, but are tried and true. I personally love the sinking pellets as they are better for fish that are nervous about feeding off the surface.

Mysis shrimp is by far one of the best types of frozen foods you can feed your fish, its high in protein, and a great color enhancer. Plus it gives them incredible growth rates. Piscene Engergetics has the best brand 100%. If you can get them, get them. Blood worms are also great, but if you can get black worms instead, definately go that way.

Earthworms are some of my favorites to feed. Most fish will eat them readily, especially some of the larger fish. You can feed them whole, or chopped up, gut load them with a syringe or just feed them. Very flexible food...literally...haha.

Krill is great because it is packed full of carotiods, which are great color enhancers. Frozen cocktail shrimp, once thawed, is another great food...especially for those larger fish species.

Being in the south, I have quite a large option of fresh foods to feed my fish. Live crayfish, catfish pellets, frog legs...haha...the list goes on. Basically, try it out, if your fish eat it, go for it!!