Crenicichla ID

[tjnelson44]

Is this some sort of dwarf pike or just a juvenile of a larger Crenicichla sp.
After looking around I thought it looked somewhat similar to C.wallacii but that is probaly just wishfull thinking on my part. I have two of these. One has an black and red ocelli on the dorsal while the other lacks it. They have a red edge on the dorsal and caudal fins and a spot on the caudal peduncle. I wish I had a pic of them when they weren't showing fright coloration but they are currently not cooperating with me and my camera. I will have more soon if needed. I figured I would take a gamble on them since nobody at the store knew what they were and they agreed to sell them for $3.99 each. If they are a large species, I do have the tank space. Also, are pikes overly sensitive to medication since it looks like one may have a spot of ick?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/tjnelson44/b273d6a1.jpg
Thanks a lot,
Trevor

 

[Mike Wise]

First I will say that I am not an expert on Crenicichla ID, but the mouth does not look like that of the wallacii-group dwarf pikes. My guess is that it is one of the big boys, but not the lugubris-group that get super large.

 

[Z Man]

I have not seen a dwarf pike with upper body marking like that. Go to Vinny's site http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/5491/photos.html and see if you can find your fish.

 

[tjnelson44]

Mike and Don, thank you very much for the replies. I looked through Vinny's site once before and could not find a match. I was going through it again and then the site was unavailable. After looking around more since my last post, I have no ideas on these fish. Maybe I will have an easier time with their identification after they have had some time to grow. I would still like to find out what species they are even if they are some of the big guys. Here are some pics that are a little more representitive of their normal coloration.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/tjnelson44/goodpike1.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/tjnelson44/goodpike2.jpg

Trevor

 

[Z Man]

Your photos don't show good dorsal extension. The first pike I saw looked a little like you have. C. acutirostris?

 

[aspen]

i would urge you to fill the tank with lots of cover. pipes, piles of rocks etc. you'd be surprised how fast a pike can take a dislike to his buddy and eat him. bb is no way to keep pikes ime.


rick

 

[tjnelson44]

I will try to get a pic that shows some good dorsal extension later today. I will go buy a small mirror. As for the bare bottom tank, I agree with you Rick. This tank is temporary, I am using it as a quarantine tank just untill I get them healthy. Once they are better I have the options of placing them in a 40 breeder, a 55, or a 150. Currently they have ich and are rubbing their gills constantly. I don't know if the gill rubing is due to the ich, flukes, or just some irritation from the ammonia build up in the bag on the long ride home. I placed a divider in the tank from the start since I have heard they can be pretty nasty.
Trevor

 

[tjnelson44]

This is the best I could get after trying for a long time. It would flare up a lot but it would not hold still so the pics were very blury. The pic partialy shows the black and red ocelli on the dorsal fin and a little of the band on the edge of the dorsal but I don't know if it is enough to help. The ich is getting worse despite my efforts. I have raised the temp to 80 degrees and have been using quick cure. If it doesn't start to improve very soon I would like to try something different. Any Ideas?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/tjnelson44/pikecrop3.jpg
Thanks for all the help,
Trevor

 

[aspen]

ick is very easy to cure. raise the temp to 86, with lots of aeration. if it is real bad use quick-cure, but it is really not needed. it will get worse before it gets better, but i've treated 1/4" blue ram fry this way and didn't lose any.

keep the temp up for 10 days, clean the bottom every day. cysts are sprinkled across the bottom, waiting to hatch.

rick

 

[tjnelson44]

Rick, thanks for the ich tips. I am now trying something very similar. I am moving the fish from tank to tank every twelve hours. The temp is kept high and when I move the fish I then bleach the tank and accessories. I am also using heavy airation. I still keep the pikes seperate since I don't trust them. They are already looking a little better. I got the Idea from the April issue of TFH. The Idea behind it is pretty much the same as with your treatment but instead of cleaning the bottom, the fish are put in a new tank. It made sense so I thought I would give it a go.
Trevor

 

[Aquatico]

Trevor, I brought in a box of that same fish from Colombia. It has 12 bands just like wallici. Not sure what it is. I was told that Colombia was too flooded to collect so the were trading collecters form Venezuela. No telling what they are. New Sp . Ya, right!

Don Atkinson

 

[tjnelson44]

Don, thanks for the reply. Would you happen to know how big they get or how to sex them?
Trevor

 

[Aquatico]

Females will get a spot on dorsal fin amd males will not. They will get about 5 inches. Males will not tollerate females until the mature. Here is what your female will look like. http://aquatico-stl.com/crenicichlaregani/

Don

 

[tjnelson44]

Thanks. I am glad that they are one of the smaller Crenicichla spp. It looks like I have a male and female judging from the spot on the dorsal. They are about 2.5 inches, how big untill they are sexually mature? Now, if I could just figure out the species........
Trevor