AFRICAN PIKE (Hepsetus odoe)

Introduction:
The odoe pike (Hepsetus odoe) is a predatory African pike characin that resides in lakes, rivers, and swamps in western sub-Saharan Africa.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Hepsetidae
Genus: Hepsetus
Species: odoe

General Housing Requirements:
Due to their shy and skittish nature, odoe pike require a larger aquarium size of around 5 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet (150 gallons). Many individuals have been known to ram themselves into walls when spooked if their aquarium is too small. Unlike the African tiger fish, odoe pike prefer deeper, slower-moving but well-oxygenated waters. They love to hunt in marginal vegetation, so a floating plant would be ideal. Also, make sure that you have a tight-fitting lid, as they like to jump.

Feeding:
Odoe pike are piscivorous, meaning that they mainly eat fish in the wild. In the aquarium setting, they can eat a variety of carnivore pellets, prawns, and fish fillet. Some individuals can be difficult to wean off of live foods, but most can easily be trained to eat prepared foods. I got very lucky with my Hepsetus odoe, as he eats pellets and frozen foods.

Furniture:
Odoe pike do require some pieces of bogwood to hide behind if scared. But, do not fill your tank with hardscape because if the odoe ever dashes, it might severely hurt itself. I would recommend to have your tank set up as 1/4 bogwood and the rest open space. This allows the odoe pike to dash safely if spooked.