Green Dwarf Pike Cichlids

Crenicichla compressiceps (Dwarf green pike cichlid) reach around 3" and the female is very nasty towards the male. He needs lots of room to hide from her. I had a pair in a 30 gallon breeder tank and she still got him.

yeah, those little buggers can be nasty. I have heard of people having problems with them in tanks smaller than 4'. I had a few in a 55 for while but nothing ever got out of hand. But then again I never had any signs of spawning, so agression could be courtship related.

Flowerhorn916 said:

I was wondering if the green dwarf is as hardy as the 2 spot and what size it grows to? My lfs has the green dwarfs around 1.5-2" for 13.00 is this a reasonable price? Thanks

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They are very hardy and, by themselves in a community setting (that is like with more peaceful, smaller cichlids) are pretty low key. $13 is a decent price IMO. I paid $11 for mine in the Bay Area.

pikes are neat fish! my pair ended up becoming a single fish though oh well, I still love watching him stalk around the tank. unfortunately, I've noticed my red-eye tetras have dissapeared since i've been trying to ween him and my wild angels off live food....oh well, at least they were only a buck! give em a shot, just preppared to do some re-arranging if things get too rough

Does anyone have pics of the green dwarf pike?

Crenicichla compressiceps are awesome fish. I keep 3 of them in a 55 gallon, and things are going pretty well so far. I've had them for about 2 months. My male is about 3.5 inches, and my 2 females are about 3 inches. My experience with them is that the male runs the show and not the females, but then again I haven't really kept them for too long. I'd have to say that inch for inch, they are one of the most aggressive species I keep! Mine live with a gold severum, a female convict, and a very aggressive firemouth (seriously... this fish is evil incarnate). I also keep 3 yellowtail botia with them. None of the tankmates bother the pikes.

And IMO, $13 is not outrageous for these fish at 2.5 inches. The store I work at charges $14.99 for a 3-3.5 inch fish, so I guess that's a better deal, but it's really pretty comparable.

I never had anything bigger than a few inches in my tank with the compressiceps. I was afraid becuase they were so tiny! I haven't seen them for a while around here or else I would probably have a few.

BTW severum mamma- I like the signature. Reminds me of good times.