European Pike

Overview

Everything you need to know about European Pike, at a glance:

• Common Names: Northern Pike
• Scientific Name: Esox lucius
• Max Size: 100-150cm
• Temperature Range: 10-22°C, though can survive temperatures close to freezing
• pH Range: 6.0-8.0
• Compatibility: Aggressive and territorial, as well as predatory – do not keep with smaller fish
• Area Of Origin: Europe
• Suitable Foods: Live or frozen fish, shrimp, and occasionally meaty foods like earthworms
• Special Requirements: Only suitable for advanced pond keepers that can provide a suitable environment

What is a European Pike?

European Pike, or Northern Pike as they’re commonly known in the UK, are large, predatory fish that inhabit lakes and slow-moving rivers full of vegetation. They’re solitary ambush predators and will often hide in beds of weeds before darting out to catch their prey, often Common Roach. Pike have even been known to hunt each other during times of food scarcity!

European Pike are a prized fish amongst anglers, largely because of their size and aggressive nature. It’s for these same reasons that European Pike are becoming increasingly popular in the pond keeping hobby. In a large, specialist pond, a European Pike is a challenging yet rewarding fish to keep and one that offers a unique glimpse into the behaviour of a freshwater predator.

European Pike are typically olive green, with patches of yellow and white across their bellies. Their sides are marked with light-coloured spots and their fins occasionally have an orange/red hue to them. They have long heads with huge mouths full of sharp teeth. As is also the case with other predatory fish, if something can fit in a European Pike’s mouth, it will try to eat it!

How do I care for European Pike?

European Pike can live in ponds, though to ensure they live a long and healthy life they need a lot of specialist care and a pond that has been specifically built to house them. For these reasons, they’re entirely unsuitable for first-time pond keepers and reserved only for advanced hobbyists with a lot of experience caring for large predatory fish.

As expected, the most important thing to consider if you’re planning to keep European Pike is the size of your pond. These are large, far-ranging fish that require a pond with a surface area measured in acres rather than metres squared. In short, they need to be kept in a small lake rather than a large pond.

If you have a large enough environment to house a European Pike, then it’s likely you’ll keep other fish too. To prevent your other fish from becoming dinner, or being harassed by your European Pike, avoid stocking small fish or other large, predatory fish.

Some suitable fish to keep alongside European Pike include chunky carp, like Common Carp, and large, bottom-dwelling catfish. That said, there’s no guarantee that your European Pike won’t go after and endanger the lives of these fish, so be sure to keep a close eye on the interactions between fish in your pond.

As mentioned above, European Pike are natural-born predators and survive primarily on a diet of meat. To satisfy their appetites and make sure they don’t get too skinny, they need to be regularly fed live or frozen fish, shrimps, shellfish and/or earthworms. In the wild, a European Pike’s diet largely consists of Roach, Rudd, Perch, Minnows, and Bream.

Like other large pond fish, European Pike produce a lot of waste. To stop this waste from polluting your pond, you’ll need a large and powerful pond filter partnered with a suitable pond pump. These fish also require a well-oxygenated pond, so consider also investing in a large pond fountain and/or waterfall.

How is this European Pike delivered?

All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributor and delivered directly to your doorstep. Our distributor dispatches and delivers livestock packages Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being in transit over the weekend. To further minimise time spent travelling, all livestock deliveries are made before 1pm on the day of delivery.

After placing your livestock order, you’ll receive all the information needed to track your livestock order via email. If you have any problems regarding delivery, or concerns about the health/wellbeing of your animal(s) upon arrival, please contact us, Swell UK Ltd, immediately, or at least within 48 hours of receiving your livestock order.

Any other, non-livestock items that you purchase alongside livestock will be sent via standard or express delivery and arrive at your delivery address in a different package. This means that, depending on when you place your order, you may receive your non-livestock items before or after your livestock package.

For a detailed breakdown of when you can expect to receive your livestock package depending on the day you placed your order, be sure to check the delivery details in the specifications below.

How do you acclimate a European Pike to a pond?

It’s very important that you acclimatise new fish to your pond. This is the process of gradually adjusting an animal to its new environment and it’s especially important in an aquatic setting where sudden changes in water temperature, pH, and nitrates can cause stress, illness and, in some cases, even death.

To acclimatise your European Pike, add it to a large, dimly lit container and add a small amount of pond water every few minutes. Do this until water temperatures in this container match water temperatures in your pond, and for at least 20 minutes. If you don’t have a large container to hand, you can float the bag containing your fish in your pond instead.

You should always set up your pond and make sure it’s ready for fish prior to purchasing any. It’s also a good idea to let your pond filter mature for a few months before adding European Pike.

Above photos are for illustration purposes only; livestock received may not exactly match those photographed.