Pike Gourami
Luciocephalus pulcher
The 'Pike Gourami' or 'Crocodile Fish' (18 cm). An extraordinary tapered labyrinth predator, resembling a small pike. Exclusively insectivorous/piscivorous, it is a master of ambush among dense vegetation. Very difficult to feed indoors, requires monospecific tanks and live baits.
Température de l’eau
24 - 28 °C
Valeur du pH
5 - 7
Type d'eau
Eau douce
Niveau dans le bac
Milieu
Taille adulte
18 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 180 L
Groupe minimal
>= 1
GH
1 - 10 dGH
KH
1 - 5 dKH
TDS
25 - 200 ppm
Conductivité
39 - 313 uS/cm
Description de l'espèce
Distribution and habitat: FishBase records Luciocephalus pulcher from Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore. The source reports it in streams and flooded forest among dense vegetation, including primary peat swamps.
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Verified environmental data: FishBase records Luciocephalus pulcher as a tropical freshwater, benthopelagic species, with pH 6.0–7.5 and temperature 22–26 °C. The source also reports male mouthbrooding for about 30 days.
Origine et répartition géographiques
Cette espèce provient de : Asia (Malesia, Indonesia, Singapore).
Origine
Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- Semi-aggressive
- They are slow and methodically predatory. They are peaceful towards fish they cannot eat. A quiet, stress-free environment is needed.
- Régime alimentaire
- Omnivore
- Luciocephalus pulcher is a highly specialized ambush predator. They require live foods like feeder fish or shrimp. Weaning them onto frozen food is very difficult.
- Espérance de vie
- 8 years
- Taille adulte
- 18 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Pair
- Keep a natural pair if attempting to breed. Sexing them visually is nearly impossible. They are generally tolerant of their own kind.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- Twice daily
- Feed them a large meal every two days. Overfeeding can cause digestive problems. Remove uneaten live food promptly.
- Charge biologique
- Medium to High
- Luciocephalus pulcher produces a moderate to high bioload. Their predatory diet creates significant organic waste. Excellent water quality must be maintained.
- Courant
- Stagnant
- They require very calm, slow-moving water. Strong currents will exhaust and stress them. A heavily baffled filter is ideal.
- Risque de saut
- Yes
- The jump risk is extremely high. They launch themselves when attacking prey. A completely secure, tight-fitting lid is mandatory.
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- They are unique paternal mouthbrooders. The male incubates the eggs in his throat. Breeding in captivity is exceptionally rare.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- With caution
- They will eat any fish that fits in their mouth. Keep them with larger, peaceful fish. Aggressive fish will cause them severe stress.
- Niveau dans le bac
- Middle
- Luciocephalus pulcher stays near the water surface. They need dense floating plants for camouflage. They rarely visit the bottom.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,4 ± 0,4 se
- Résilience
- Élevée (moins de 15 mois)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.75
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.00389, b = 3.12
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible (14 / 100)
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