# pike cichlid advice



## RLHam3 (Sep 17, 2008)

i have a 55 gallon american cichlid grow out tank. currently i have a 3.5in green terror, a 3.5in texas, and two 2.5in jack dempsies. i also have 1 senegal bichir. i was wondering if i could put a pike in the mix. my main concern would be getting him food. i've seen these before but they are not as active as the fish i currently have. would getting them food be a problem. to give you an example, the only way to get my slow moving bichir food is to hand feed it beefheart. 



by the way for water quality i have a penn-plax cascade 1000(rated for 100gallons). i also do at least a 25% waterchange per day. i don't think water quality will be an issue as long as the fish are less than 6 or 7in. 



if a pike would be ok, what kind of pike would you suggest and what size?


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Are you planning on getting an upgrade?
Otherwise, that's not a good combination of fish.

The easier pikes to find would be too large and would constantly compete or attack the other cichlids. Dwarves would work in a 55, but not with that combo, and they're not the easiest to find in most areas.

Btw, don't feed fish, specially bichirs, too much beefheart as a staple diet.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Dwarf pikes are ambush predators and eat primarily fry. But they are cichlids and so are smart enough to come out and eat when fed. Frozen bloodworms work well. I don't know how they'd do with that mix. They sit still for hours and then move lightning fast. The non-dwarf pikes that are easy to find are likely to grow up and eat the other fish.


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## RLHam3 (Sep 17, 2008)

flamingo, beef heart is not his staple. it's just his favorite. (i was exagerating a little) i know that will lead to problems down the road.

and amc7 i actually just read an article from this month that said pike cichlids eat primarily insects in the wild


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