Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / April 2005

I just set up one of my tanks - a 55 gal. - to be a cichlid tank (I have
four other community tanks).  I really had my heart set on a pike cichlid.
I asked a friend of mine who has always had pretty good luck keeping pikes.
He suggested some tank mates for the pike and even went with me to the LFS
to pick them out.  The LFS we went to didn't have any pike, but I did buy a
green terror, 2 jewels and 2 convicts.  I also have a three-inch pleco in
the tank.  My plan was to buy all the fish small so that they would be used
to each other by the time they get bigger and more aggressive.  The biggest
of the five is the green terror at about an inch and a half.  The others are
all about an inch.  First night in the tank all went well.  I found a store
that had pike and bought the smallest one they had at about two and a half
to three inches long.  Once he was in the tank, they all seemed to get along
good.  Being that they are all so small, they've only been fed fish food -
no live fish.  So, Day 2 - the pike is in the tank doing fine.  I go to feed
them the next morning, and they are all swimming around.  Seven hours later,
I get home and the pike is gone.  I've moved every plant, rock and ornament
in the tank looking for him.  I've even checked all around outside the
aquarium and in the filter - there is no sign of him anywhere.

Is it possible that even though the other fish are so small, they could have
eaten him?  If that was the case, shouldn't I see some of the carcas lying
around my tank or in the filter somewhere?  I find it hard to believe that
such small fish could devour my pike to where there was no trace of him just
a few hours later...

I forgot to mention above, but this is my first cichlid tank and I'm not
entirely sure what to expect as these fish grow and mature.  Can anyone shed
some light on to my situation?

Thanks!

-JD