Care
The Xingu Orange Pike Cichlid is found only in the Rio Xingu, one of the many rivers that flow into the Amazon. This elongate, rheophilic cichlid must be provided with specialised conditions if it is to thrive in the home aquarium; indeed, a requisite for their care is highly oxygenated, warm, soft water with plenty of current, and tight fitting coverslides are a must. The aquarium should be as spacious as possible in order to provide ample room for fish to set up their territories. A soft sand substrate will be beneficial, as many species like to dig a little now and again - although Pike cichlids do not generally tend to rearrange the decor anywhere near as much as many other cichlid families. It is important to furnish the tank with a plethora of hiding places and visual barriers, which will enable multiple specimens to be kept together. Tangles of driftwood, rocky caves and crevices, PVC or bamboo tubes (allow several per fish) etc will all be much appreciated. Hardy plants can usually be incorporated into the aquascape, but as some species do like to engage in a bit of digging, it may be prudent to opt for Java Fern and Anubias sp. which can be tied on and cultivated on the decor. Filtration should be efficient, with areas of fast water movement along with some quieter resting spots out of the current. Like other species that inhabit fresh running waters, these cichlids will not tolerate a build-up of nitrates within the aquarium and require excellent water conditions at all times if they are to prosper; regular partial water changes are essential. Xingu Orange Pike Cichlids have something of a reputation for being nasty. Whilst it is true that they are predatory (they have large protrusible mouths and will attempt to eat fish that are just a bit smaller than themselves) and most are highly territorially aggressive towards conspecifics, there are several ways of reducing the risk of violence in the aquarium. The first is to provide a multitude of visual barriers as described above; broken lines of sight will significantly reduce territorial aggression. Secondly, when purchasing your pike cichlids, buy a group of reasonable number that are all of the same size, and introduce them to the aquarium simultaneously. Thirdly, these fish are always best kept in a species tank environment, but if tankmates really are desired, ensure the tank is voluminous and companions are robust and as large (or larger) than the pikes, and add them first so that the pikes have not already set up territories and see them as intruders into their established domain. Lastly, bear in mind that if a pair forms and they show signs of wanting to spawn, aggression will heighten even further - and unless the tank is exceptionally spacious, the other fish may need rehoming for their own safety. Juvenile specimens are orange with thin, black longitudinal stripes, whereas the adults are an olive green to grey colour with red fins. The female will develop a beautiful red mid-section when in spawning condition.
Feeding
Offer a variety of meaty frozen foods such as white mosquito larvae, bloodworm, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis etc. As the majority of fish are wild caught, they may require live foods to initiate a feeding response, gradually weaning on to frozen fare, and some will eventually take dried foods such as cichlid pellets.
Breeding
There are no reports of this species being bred in the home aquarium as yet. Like other pike cichlids, they are cave spawners. Eggs will be deposited/fertilised in a cave/crevice and the female fish will tend to these whilst the male patrols the perimeter.
