Sharp nose pike cichlid
- Thread starter Joshuakahan
- Start date
This is a soft to neutral water species from the moderate to higher flow tributaries of the Amazon.
If you have soft , lower pH tap water you are golden.
If your tap water is hard, with pH above 7.5, cutting it with rain water or RO/DI might be a good idea.
This species has not been in the hobby long enough to have generations build up resistance to the bacteria that thrive in hard water, so can become infected when natural conditions aren't provided.
I'd also add tannins (antibacterial) either in the form of peat moss, Rooibos Tea, fallen leaves to help with a more natural environment.
I also wouldn't skimp on flow rate, by adding a power head/wave maker pump, along with filtration to their tank.
If you have soft , lower pH tap water you are golden.
If your tap water is hard, with pH above 7.5, cutting it with rain water or RO/DI might be a good idea.
This species has not been in the hobby long enough to have generations build up resistance to the bacteria that thrive in hard water, so can become infected when natural conditions aren't provided.
I'd also add tannins (antibacterial) either in the form of peat moss, Rooibos Tea, fallen leaves to help with a more natural environment.
I also wouldn't skimp on flow rate, by adding a power head/wave maker pump, along with filtration to their tank.
duanes
has great points. They are a slimmer build than the lugubris pikes and can be expected to behave peacefully to non pike cichlid tankmates. I wouldn’t be overly concerned with water parameters unless you have liquid rock as water. The standard ranges of tap in most parts of the country should be fine for the maintenance of this species. Breeding would obviously be a different story but this species has never been bred in captivity, soft water or otherwise. It’s more an insectivore than a piscovore but I wouldn’t keep it with anything small enough to fit in its mouth. Medium sized and larger SA cichlids and Larger deeper bodied characins should work well with them, as would medium sized catfish.
I know from someone who bred them that they will spawn in soft and slightly acidic water. But they need a pH below 5 for the eggs to develop properly.
Harald Kahden has spawned his pair twice in the past year. He shared his fry on the pike cichlids Facebook group if you're interested in learning more. I'm not sure if he ever mentioned his water parameters though, might have to personally ask him.
