Regan's Dwarf Pike Cichlid

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Lower and middle Amazon River basin, especially in the Santarém and Rio Tapajós region. Found predominantly in clear or "white water" poor in tannins but structured with sandbanks.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Regan's Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla regani). Dwarf cichlid (under 10 cm / 4 inches), with a less elongated body compared to large predators. Dedicated to ichthyologist C. Tate Regan.

Social Behavior: Exuberant, curious and very aggressive towards conspecifics of the same sex. A male and multiple females (if the tank is very large) or a single close-knit pair. Fierce if it has eggs to protect.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Females are the undisputed aesthetic protagonists (reverse dimorphism): they present 1-4 conspicuous black ocelli surrounded by white or bright yellow on the dorsal fin, in addition to a swollen pinkish belly. Uniform brownish-golden males.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum 100 cm (40 inches) tank for a pair. Requires a thick sandy substrate and very numerous closed hiding places, masonry crevices, hollow roots and ceramic tubes, to minimize the visual range between females or between male and female when not mated.

Diet and Feeding: Micro-carnivore. Absolutely prefers live or juicy defrosted food. Krill, daphnia, mosquito larvae, bloodworms. Almost totally ignores plant matter and hardly accepts pellets.

Water Quality: Very tolerant to chemical values (resists pH 7 and medium hardness water) as long as there are no nitrates or ammonia. Oxygenation must always be very abundant.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Capable of biting small fish like Neons in half. Combine it only with snappy medium-sized Characins (e.g. Hyphessobrycon rosaceus, Moenkhausia) or Cichlids (Severum, Geophagus) that swim in mid-water.

Aquarium Reproduction: Typical reproduction in very narrow caves. After courtship in which the female exhibits her abdomen, the eggs are anchored to the ceiling of the cave. Both parents are hyper-protective.

Risks and Diseases: Males often kill the female in tanks smaller than 100cm if she is not ready to spawn. Requires meticulously studied layouts to break lines of sight.