# red snakehead thoughts



## zero112011 (Jun 24, 2013)

Ill start by saying I live in the uk, im over 3 miles from the nearest stream or river and I have a secure fitting lid! The tank is 116 us gallons and currently houses my 10inch oscar, 5 inch jack dempsey and various fish around 2inch. Im very aware the smaller fish may be lunch and ive done a lot of research into keeping them, but id still like to hear any tips from current snakehead owners, Particularly about feeding. The one im looking to purchase on sunday is eating prawns and im hoping to get it onto frozen food and then eventually the pellets and river shirmp I feed the others too. Is this possible with snakeheads? The general thing ive seen seems to be feeder fish! 

The fish is 12inches and currently lives with a breeding pair of oscars and there babies.

Thanks!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I don't have one anymore ,but back in the 80's I had a red in my 135.He grew to 18" and ate the first 16 goldfish(largest sold as feeders) everyday before the arrowanna,pacus(X4) and the clown knife.He was a brute!Nobody messed with him much,besides the 2 red pacu.The arrowanna and pacus would eat freeze dried krill with no problem but he never even seemed interested in the at all.Even if I fed the krill first,he would wait it out till he got live food(and plenty of it).Pretty cool fish,not real active,as the 6' long tank wasn't really big enough for him.MOUTH FULL OF TEETH.He made me nervous about servicing the tank,and I always had my roomate watch him closely when I had to.He watched my hands very closely!


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## zero112011 (Jun 24, 2013)

Thanks for the reply! Did you have him from a baby? If so was he fussy from the start? Yes ive read they can nip their owners! Did he ever get you?? Im going to upgrade to an 8foot tank once weve found a place to buy (at present were in a first floor flat and I dont think the floor will hold it!)


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

he was not a baby.He was close to the size of what you are looking at(12"),but grew quickly.He never got me,but he did knock a 1/4" thick12"x18" piece of glass off the tank(the lid),and landed in a cactus plant that he fought for 3 minutes or so and onto the floor for another 5+ minutes before my roommate worked up the nerve (and figured out how) to get him back in the tank.It barely "phased him"(didn't know back then how long they could be out of water),but I always reffered to the episode as the day he fought the cactus and won!The red pacus would nip him every now and then and run like heck.He would "flick his tail "once and he shot acroos the 6' tank in like a second and everyone ran for cover!


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## catfisherpro (Apr 5, 2013)

Snakeheads will probly never adapt to pellets. U can feed them frozen mice or can feed them bait blue gill. In the US they are illegal to own without permits


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## ChannaLover (Nov 22, 2013)

We'll I've kept a few snakeheads from C.Argus, C.Micropeltes and a pair or Auranti and I have to say that they aren't really fussy at the start... From what I've seen they take only feeders till they mature them I feed them dead shrimps, dried krill etc... As for me they've never nipped me as I've kept them since young but if ou aren't familiar with them they are more then capable of tearing a finger or two off...


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## zero112011 (Jun 24, 2013)

So the journey ended in tragedy. The poor thing was put in a tiny, and I mean tiny tank with a 13 inch Oscar, (there was no room for the Oscar to turn it was that small) and unfortunately the lighting wasn't that good where the guy kept the fish, so it wasn't till I got him home where he perished that I saw the extent of his injuries. He was a beautiful fish born with one eye

My boyfriend saw how upset I was so has brought me 6 fry (40mm in size) channa harcourtbutleri. I'm hoping having these from babies I can bond with them and not get an injury from them! And as thy wont get nearly as big getting the big big tank wont be so urgent.

CoralBandit, your story cheered me up no end! They sound like really fun fish and I'm looking forward to extending my knowledge of freshwater monsters, therefore educating everyone I see in the fish stores thinking of buying them!

On another note I did get a wild Oscar from the guy but ill start a new thread in the disease section as that one too is very unwell. I'm thinking to call the RSPCA as the conditions the fish were in was just disgusting!


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## ChannaLover (Nov 22, 2013)

Oh dear that's not good to hear... But well now those are real small fry and luckily your boyfriend got 6 of em as the micropeltes like hanging out together  also one thing I like doing before taking the fish home is that immediately stepping out of the shop I would do a quick check on the fish's condition before walking on so if anything you can get back into the shop for a refund etc... As for the small snakeheads, hell does your boyfriend have taste- besides aurantimaculata, IMO they are one of the coolest of snakeheads! Also if you want something else that's temporary cool, check out channa emas. They are a variant of channa micropeltes with one hell of a coloration when they are young. Good luck with your snakeheads!


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## zero112011 (Jun 24, 2013)

Yeah I'm kicking myself for not checking the fish before I left, and the man has the audacity to blame me for its death! How dare he suggest me rescuing it cause its death and not the gargantuan Oscar that had torn it to pieces!!! Not something I will neglect in the future that is for sure! 

I'll upload pics of the babies to this thread when they are here.....2 more days to wait!! I'm going to put them in a 110 litre tank to grow out a bit then into the big tank. Would you suggest waiting until there around 4 to 5 inches or a bit bigger? I don't want them being eaten by the Oscars! I'm still a little worried at putting them in there at all as they wont be the biggest fish.

Oh wow the emas are beautiful! I will most definitely be looking at them when its time for the 8 foot tank!


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## ChannaLover (Nov 22, 2013)

Great that you like the emas! As for your snakeheads despite them growing to about half an adult oscar'a length they can get hell aggressive so be prepared to have to keep them apart  on another note you may have seen it but channa aurantimaculata are real beauties to. Signing off!


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## zero112011 (Jun 24, 2013)

So the little beauties were delivered on Thursday!

What great little fish! Their really responsive and will come to the glass and stair at you...they have the best faces!! I've been feeding them on frozen food like blood worm and daphina and thought id try them on Hikari micro pellets today. It was brilliant, the smallest of the 6 got stuck right in but the others needed a bit of persuading, but in the end they all ate them no problem. They were looking at it and then deciding it wasn't worthy of them chasing it! One of them was really interested in a drip of water that ran down the front of the tank too, he followed it all the way to the bottom then waiting like it was expecting the drip to come out of hiding so he could eat it. Really looking forward to keeping these as there not like any fish I've kept before, my Oscars are wonderful and interactive but these little guys are something else!

I got a few snaps too, but they're devilishly quick so there not the best!
























Sorry if there are a few doubles!


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