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Excerpted from: Pocket-sized Pikes; There's something about
these miniature killers that fascinates us. But can they be kept
without mayhem and mass murder? by Neale
Monks
Pike cichlids, genus
Crenicichla
It would be difficult to discuss aquarium
'pikes' without mention these popular fish. On the one
hand, they come in a variety of sizes, from dwarf species only
around three inches or so in length (such as Crenicichla
compressiceps) though to giants that can exceed ten inches in
length (as with the undescribed species sold as
Crenicichla sp. 'Xingu I'). Most are somewhere
between these extremes, with fish around six to eight inches in
length being typical.
Broadly speaking, all prefer soft and
acidic water conditions and generally get along well with other
fish too large to be viewed as food. Single specimens and pairs
are usually very aggressive towards conspecifics, however. Some
species are shy, others more outgoing, but a lot depends on the
aquarium. In a spacious tank with plenty of plants, these fish
these fish will explore their environment a good deal of the
time; but in a cramped aquarium, particularly one with few
sources of cover, they'll stay in their chosen cave and only
venture out at feeding time (and then only briefly). As such,
give the dwarf species tanks above least 30 gallons in capacity,
and the large species proportionally more.
Pike cichlids can and do eat smaller
fish, but like most other cichlids they are quick to learn about
the options. River shrimps, earthworms, and other live foods of
this type are readily taken from the start, but once settled in,
these fish will even eat cichlid pellets!
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