Pike Cichlids (Crenicichla _________ )
There are many different types of Pike Cichlids, and all are generally found labeled in the pet stores as “Pike Cichlid.” Occasionally you’ll find something being sold as descriptive as “Orange Pike,” “Yellow Pike,” “Blue Pike,” etc. These fish are difficult to identify as juveniles because they usually undergo a drastic change in appearance somewhere around the six-inch mark. Coloring and markings can completely change around this time.
Pikes are marketed as super-aggressive large cichlids and for the most part this is true. They are often found in the 1 ½ to 2-inch range when being sold in stores. At this size the pet store generally has a tank filled with about twenty or more specimens, many swimming around the tank, others laying in wait at the bottom. As the Pike Cichlid grows it will become extremely territorial and attempt to kill off any other Pikes in the tank, unless it is one that they have paired off with. Thus, the Pike Cichlid is referred to as conspecific. However; this does not rule them out as an interesting member of a large South American cichlid community.
Pike cichlids are tube-shaped fish that can grow to be anywhere from about 8-10 inches to two feet in length. Generally, the females are much smaller, sometimes half the size, than the males. They are shaped like a snake or an eel and are approximately the same width around from their head to their tails. Their faces have an almost monstrous appearance with a large bottom jaw protruding further than the top. Keep in mind that the Pike will be able to swallow any fish that is not somewhat larger than its girth: the Pike’s mouth will open a little bit wider than its total girth. Like any other fish, the Pike will eat whatever it can fit in its mouth, and you will learn very fast that they are a quick fish that will strike immediately when offered the opportunity.
Pike cichlids thrive on a diet of krill and to a lesser degree bloodworms. They will usually not eat flake, and aren’t that crazy about pelleted foods either. Of course there are always exceptions and juvenile specimens are more willing to try this fare than adults. One of the Pikes that I kept only left the bottom of the tank during feeding time, when it would zip through the upper levels of the tank. This particular fish would only accept krill, and it became a challenge to have the krill reach him before his tankmates (other cichlids hovering at water level in acknowledgement of feeding time) devoured it all.
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