Help out a newbie? (Dilemma in stocking)

[Hendre]

Cheap? Channas are almost free... Almost every pond or lake has channa bleheri and channa punctatus and the ones (juveniles) for sale in aquarium shops have prices starting from
10 Rupees (0.149 US Dollar). Even cheaper, newborn Channa micropeltes is sold at roadside fish shops as feeder fish for 2 Rupees each.
So.. If I were to keep a channa, do I require any dither fish? Also, the synodontis is definitely going to that tank... Will it cause any problems?

Lucky. Mid sized bleheri are 30usd here.

A syno shouldn't cause issues as far as i know

 

[Weirder_Weird]

Lucky. Mid sized bleheri are 30usd here.

A syno shouldn't cause issues as far as i know

Thanks! Channa bleheri is my prime choice, then. How many should I keep? 2-3?

 

[Hendre]

If we are considering cichlids, will 1 Cuban Cichlid or 1 Salvin's Cichlid fit in the tank?
What other cichlids would be compatible with the Synodontis (preferably South/Central American)?

Cuban cichlids get way too big to be kept as more than 1, and salvinis have an inner hatred for other cichlids but should work w/ cats

 

[Hendre]

Thanks! Channa bleheri is my prime choice, then. How many should I keep? 2-3?

Start with a small group (5-8) and observe as they grow. As soon as a pair forms remove the others otherwise it will be a bloodbath since pairs dont take well to other snakeheads

 

[Madou]

Cheap? Channas are almost free... Almost every pond or lake has channa bleheri and channa punctatus and the ones (juveniles) for sale in aquarium shops have prices starting from
10 Rupees (0.149 US Dollar). Even cheaper, newborn Channa micropeltes is sold at roadside fish shops as feeder fish for 2 Rupees each.
So.. If I were to keep a channa, do I require any dither fish? Also, the synodontis is definitely going to that tank... Will it cause any problems?

Channas really don't do well in community.
Either they kill whatever bothers them, or they get intimidated and bullied. While a Syno isn't exactly the bully kind of fish, it might still intimidate the channas. On top of that, Sub-trop channas require a non-heated tank, which your syno won't agree with.

If you want to experience a true channa experience, get a group of 6, hope for a pair to form and bully the other 4, remove the other 4, and enjoy the most personable fishes you'll ever own.

 

[Hendre]

Channas really don't do well in community.
Either they kill whatever bothers them, or they get intimidated and bullied. While a Syno isn't exactly the bully kind of fish, it might still intimidate the channas. On top of that, Sub-trop channas require a non-heated tank, which your syno won't agree with.

If you want to experience a true channa experience, get a group of 6, hope for a pair to form and bully the other 4, remove the other 4, and enjoy the most personable fishes you'll ever own.

Yep i would spend 160 euros on a group of 6. But lucky guy has it cheap. Are there other channa species that can live in a 4ft?

 

[Madou]

Yep i would spend 160 euros on a group of 6. But lucky guy has it cheap. Are there other channa species that can live in a 4ft?

I am tempted to say all of the dwarf species.

if I was to make a list (don't quote me on that, I'm at work, I'd need to verify):
- Bleheri
- Orientalis
- Gachua
- Ornatipinnis (I think?)
- Andrao
- Panaw
- Fire&Ice

And a few others.

But I am assuming you are asking because of the price, in which case, I would think Andrao is going to be the cheapest. They're basically baby bleheris with less colors, but pretty much work the same. orientalis usually tend to be slightly cheaper than bleheris, but are much harder to come by.

 

[Hendre]

I am tempted to say all of the dwarf species.

if I was to make a list (don't quote me on that, I'm at work, I'd need to verify):
- Bleheri
- Orientalis
- Gachua
- Ornatipinnis (I think?)
- Andrao
- Panaw
- Fire&Ice

And a few others.

But I am assuming you are asking because of the price, in which case, I would think Andrao is going to be the cheapest. They're basically baby bleheris with less colors, but pretty much work the same. orientalis usually tend to be slightly cheaper than bleheris, but are much harder to come by.

I have never seen a snakehead in person, one lfs had a gachua but took months to sell it. Ill look into those since i am going to redo the tank for fancy goldfish or snakehead in future

 

[adamsfishes]

Channa bleheri is a super cool fish, you are lucky to have that as such an easy option. They are non-existent here and illegal anyway.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

If you're "true newbie" then I would suggest that you choose 1 or a pair of your favorite species or setup a cheap, an easy community tank and take care them for at least few months. If you can keep them alive then you can start looking for more better species or upgrade your tank if you really into fish keeper hobby.
Note:
No offend here cause "newbies" tend to over excited and overstock with impulse buying and tank crash few weeks later and get depress then quit...wasting all your time and money in short amount of time.