Striped pike gold - Aplocheilus lineatus

The Golden Striped Pike, Aplochceilus lineatus, has been known in aquaristics since the beginning of the 19th century and has lost none of its popularity since then. Originally, these egg-laying toothcarps originate from stagnant and weakly flowing waters and rice paddies in India, where they linger just below the water surface, lurking for prey. The Golden Striped Pike is a breeding form of the otherwise paler nominate form and is also the best known of all Kilifishes, as well as the largest of all Aplocheilus.

Aplocheilus lineatus has the eponymous pike-shaped body with a mouse-gray to olive-green ground color, on which golden scale rows are set off. Juveniles and females have partly distinct stripes on the sides, the males up to eight transverse bands on the hind body, which were among other things name-giving, "lineatus" means stripes. The males grow up to 10 cm long and have translucent yellow-orange pointed fins, some of which are red fringed.  The pelvic fins are thread-like in extension. Females lag somewhat behind them at just under 7 cm and are not quite as colorful, but they have rounded fins and a spot on the dorsal fin. The animals have an upper and wide mouth with large bright eyes.

For breeding a breeding tank with a volume of 20 liters is suitable, because the Golden Pikelet is a very good hunter, which snaps at everything that twitches or wriggles - and so also at its own offspring. The water should be very soft, the total hardness should be about 10-12 ° dGH and the water level should be lowered. The temperature should be increased to 28 °C. As spawning substrate fine feathery plants, but also Java moss are suitable. The females lay an average of 10 eggs per day, from which the first juveniles hatch within 14 days, feeding on their yolk sac for the time being. They can then be fed directly  with freshly hatched Artemia nauplii and raised. Since the young fish already have a pronounced hunting behavior, the young fish should be regularly sorted according to size, otherwise they could eat each other.

Golden Striped Pike should be kept in an aquarium with an edge length of 100 cm or more. Since they are surface oriented, there are a few things to keep in mind. In their habitat, the fish lurk under the water surface for approaching insects and occasionally jump upwards, which is why the aquarium should be well covered. A partially darkened surface in the form of Floating plantsbut also of dense plant stands, which reach up to the surface, serves their well-being, because there they partly remain almost motionless. Accordingly, they do not need any current. The substrate plays a subordinate role and can be adapted to the bottom dwellers.

The aquarium water should have a total hardness (GH) between 2 and 25 °dGH and a carbonate hardness (KH) to a maximum of 12 °dKH. The pH value with optimally 6-6.8 is in the slightly acidic range, the temperature is 22-28 °C.

As a predator the Golden Striped Pike lurks under the water surface and can easily eat food animals up to a size of 5 cm. It snaps at everything that moves the water surface, falls into it, wriggles or twitches. This has to be taken into account when socializing the fish, because it can also attack smaller conspecifics and other fish. Invertebrates are therefore not suitable for his aquarium. Larger and also more assertive by-fish would be more recommendable, but their offspring will probably also be preyed upon. Larger loricariids are suitable for the bottom substrate, provided there are sufficient retreat possibilities.

As a carnivore, the Golden Pikelet feeds in its habitat mainly on larger approaching insects, which it even jumps after above the water surface. In the aquarium it can be easily fed with granulated food and flake food, but also with large live foods and frozen foods . Here even food shrimps and mayflies offer themselves, but also mosquito larvae and Artemia. Although the striped pike has quite large eyes, it does not chase interestingly too small live food such as daphnia.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Cichfeed has a grain size of 1.5 mm and is therefore also suitable for larger fish. The NH Cichfeed is a soft granulate for predominantly carnivorous fish. It has the same consistency as small crustaceans and insect larvae that fish naturally eat, and the soft granules protect the fish mouth from micro-injuries that can result from hard feed granules.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.