All fish / Esocidae

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

Also known as pike, jack, jackfish, great northern pike, luce, water wolf, ノーザンパイク, カワカマス, 白斑狗鱼

A long, torpedo-like ambush predator with a duck-bill snout, olive green body marked with pale bean-shaped spots, and fins set far back near the tail. It is mainly kept by specialists, public aquaria and large coldwater ponds for its striking hunting behaviour rather than as a community fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

70 cm

Temperature

4 to 22 °C

pH

6.5 to 8

Smallest tank

2000 litres

Keep as

Singly; cannibalistic towards smaller pike

Diet

Carnivore: whole fish, earthworms, large insects and frozen fish; juveniles take bloodworm and small live fish

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 25 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Northern Hemisphere: Europe, northern Asia and North America

Breeding

Pike scatter adhesive eggs over flooded vegetation in shallow water in early spring after a cold winter. Breeding in home aquariums is practically impossible, though hatcheries strip and rear them routinely.

Good to know

Adults commonly exceed 1 m and will eat any fish they can swallow, including tankmates of half their own length. Keeping or moving live pike is restricted in some regions where it is invasive, so check local laws.