|
|
|
Characins
/ Ctenoluciidae / Spotted Pike Characin
Spotted Pike Characin, Peruvian Gar
Boulengerella maculata | Pictures
Synonyms: Hydrocynus
malculatus, Xiphostoma maculatum
Physical description: An elongated, slender fish.
The snout and mouth are very long. The tip of the upper jaw hangs over
the lower.
The back is gray to brown.
A silver stripe extends from the tip of the snout through the eye to
the base of the tail.
Another stripe, with the same color as the back, also extends from the tip of the snout
through the eye and to the base of the tail.
A third stripe, below the first two, runs from the tip of the lower
jaw to the tail.
It is white in color.
The belly is the same color.
The other fins are striped with black
and white stripes, except for the pectoral which is transparent.
Size/Length: To 13" (33 cm)
Similar species: Striped Pike Characin (
B. lateristriga)
Habitat: South America; lives in slow-moving parts with grassy reeds in the Peruvian Amazon.
S: top
Aquarium: 48" (122 cm) or 55 gallons (209 L) is sufficient for fish to 8" (20 cm), although
larger tanks are preferred.
Adult specimen require a 60" (152 cm) tank with a capacity exceeding 90 gallons (342 L).
Use
a tight-fitting tank hood, and a thick cover of floating plants.
The tank should be heavily planted with small
open swimming areas in the mid and lower water levels.
This fish like all of the family is very skittish and is easily frightened.
The
cover of floating plants is needed for the protection of the fish from jumping against the tank lid.
The
tank should be well-aerated.
Water chemistry: pH 6-7.5 (6.8), 2-18 dH (6), 73-81°F (23-27°C)
Social behavior: A predator that can only be combined with other large fish of the lower swimming levels.
Keep
in pairs or in groups.
Suggested companions: As for B.
lateristriga.
FOOD: Live; fish, earthworms, large insects; pellets; large flakes
SEX: Unknown
Breeding techniques: Unknown
Breeding potential: 10.
Spawning has not been accomplished in captivity.
Remarks: Hunts at night and during the day.
This fish is skittish and timid.
If
frightened it may swim frantically around the tank, crashing into the glass and throwing itself against the lid,
causing injury and even death.
Avoid making sudden movement when performing water changes and loud noises.
Usually
a short-lived fish in captivity.
Difficulty of care: 6.
The Spotted Pike is sensitive to water pollutants and requires live foods.
It
reaches a large size, and is predatory.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
|
|
|
