Home / Fishes / Tetras, piranhas and pacus / Golden pike-characin
No federal permit to keepGolden pike-characin
Boulengerella lucius
Fishes › Tetras, piranhas and pacus (Characiformes) › Ctenoluciidae (Pike characins)
Care follows the pike characins guide below.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 102 in long and 33 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 16.9 in / 43 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 73–81°F (range recorded for this species).
- pH: 6–7.2.
- Hardness: 0–15 dGH.
- Layout: An open-water swimmer: needs long, open swimming space with few obstacles.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
- Availability: Mostly kept by public aquariums; private keeping is uncommon.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: soft, acidic water, 72–82 °F, pH 4–7, 1–10 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament predatory; a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Relatively unfussy although some surface cover in the form of floating or overhanging vegetation or branches is appreciated.”
- Diet: “An obligate predator feeding mostly on smaller fishes and insects in nature but in most cases adapting well to dead alternatives in captivity.”
- Tankmates: “Peaceful with anything too large to swallow and can be maintained in a community provided tankmates are chosen with care.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Pike characins
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: These South American predators hunt in upper freshwater layers, from sheltered vegetated waters used by Ctenolucius to blackwater tributaries used by B. lateristriga and main channels and floodplain lakes used by B. lucius. [fg276-hujeta, fg276-striped, fg276-golden]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Provide C. hujeta a footprint of at least 180 × 60 cm with at least 30 cm water depth.
- For B. lateristriga and B. maculata, cited profiles recommend at least 240 × 90 cm footprints; B. lucius needs public or exceptionally large private facilities.
- Fit a tightly secured lid; these fish are powerful jumpers.
- Provide floating or overhanging cover without obstructing surface swimming.
- Use mature, efficient filtration, good oxygenation and weekly 30–50% water changes; avoid turbulent returns for C. hujeta.
- Cover the back and sides of Boulengerella housing to reduce collisions by startled fish.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 71.6–82.4°F |
Diet
- Suitably sized fish flesh.
- Whole prawns or shrimp and mussel flesh.
- Earthworms and bloodworms for smaller specimens.
- Gut-loaded insects such as crickets.
Social life
- C. hujeta is best kept in a group of four or more; choose placid companions too large to swallow and avoid competing surface predators. Juveniles school, but adult size must govern stocking.
Health watch
- Snout/body injury from startling and striking glass.
- Parasites introduced with feeder fish.
- Fat deposition and organ degeneration associated with mammalian or avian meat.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 73–81 °F (23–27 °C), pH 6–7.2, hardness 15 dH. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 73–81 °F.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 91°F (up to 95°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 71°F (down to 68°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 78–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 77–83% on average (driest month about 75%) |
| Rainfall | about 2355 mm a year |
Measured at 101 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Typical adult weight
Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
Water hardness
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish — Ctenolucius hujeta Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — Boulengerella lateristriga Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — Boulengerella lucius Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — Boulengerella species profiles Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
