The Quick Catch: The Zebrina Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla zebrina)

The Zebrina Pike Cichlid is a truly stunning fish! It is not only my favorite pike cichlid, but also one of my favorite cichlids. Actually, it just may even be my favorite cichlid that I’ve ever kept altogether! So, let’s dive into a little bit of info that I know about Crenicichla zebrina. It has become more popular in recent years not only due to its appearance — an elongated olive green body adorned with beautiful yellow zebra-like stripes with a bright red throat and fins to boot — but also because it is the most peaceful large pike cichlid discovered. It was only recently discovered in 2008, but unsurprisingly, it made its way into the hobby just a few short years later and has now become a popular choice for many large tank aquarists.

Now, while I state that this pike is the most peaceful pike found so far, it is important to note that this fish is still a predator and its temperament is still considered aggressive. Lastly, it’s still a pike — and a pike is a carnivore (mainly a piscivore). That being said, I currently have one about 6–7 inches in a 40 breeder which is being housed with a pair of Aequidens patricki that I gave up trying to breed, a few super red bushynose plecos, and an albino arowana. This pike typically grows up to 12–14 inches in captivity, and thus should be kept in a minimum of a 150-gallon tank if not larger. I have a 210-gallon tank I will be moving mine into eventually. The general rule of thumb that has seemed to work for me so far, both at home and at the store, is “it can be kept with other fish, as long as it doesn’t fit in their mouth.” I’ve kept them with large cichlids and smaller community fish alike with no issues. I’ve even housed them together and for the most part had no issues there either.

A juvenile Zebrina Pike who hasn’t colored up yet.

Feeding these pikes is pretty easy. While they mainly eat other small fish in the wild, in captivity I’ve been able to always get them eating pretty much everything: live black worms, live red wigglers and earthworms, mealworms, freeze-dried crickets, frozen tilapia, floating food sticks, sinking carnivore pellets, slow sinking cichlid pellets, and freeze-dried krill, just to name a few.

To my knowledge, the Zebrina Pike has still yet to be bred in captivity, and as such all specimens are wild-caught. Sexing these fish is next to impossible — there is no discernible sexual dimorphism, and the only current ways to determine their sex are through dissection or ultrasound. I remember reading an article years ago about a German importer who paid to have his fish given ultrasounds to sex them, but he was still very unsuccessful in breeding them.

They come from densely vegetated, clean and warm, fast-flowing waters of the lower Rio Ventuari near the border of Colombia and Venezuela in South America. These waters not only have a lot of plants but also a lot of rocks, crevices, and spots to hide. Therefore, it is recommended to keep a strong current in the tank with temperatures around 79 to 85°F.

Juvenile Zebrina Pike eating a red wiggler worm

So if large, beautiful, and colorful cichlids is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this truly remarkable fish. Its stunning appearance and tolerant, mostly peaceful nature makes it a one-of-a-kind pike cichlid that quickly becomes the centerpiece of any large tank.