Channa Gachua Sexing
- Thread starter JayP
- Start date
As Mature Adults there will be the some minor differences in the head and body shape, as well as slight color differences in the fin's .
However as with most Channa differences are minor and unless you have the M/F to use as a comparison it's very hard to pinpoint the differences. Add to this that the Gaucha have a wide natural range and several varieties it becomes even harder to say for sure. Another major factor to keep in mind when sexing them is that the over all health of the fish along with how it is kept and fed will also effect their color and body shape.
To compare mature adults look for the following:
Males : Narrower body with a a wider and more arched dorsal fin with more color when compared to the female.
Females: A bulkier more rounded body shape with less colorful and a more narrower dorsal fin.
Males tend to have a more "arrow shaped" skull females having a more "square" scull shape. But this is VERY hard to see. In my experience unless the male is sitting next to the female for direct comparison the head shape differences are not apparent.
Attitude wise I've hear many people mention the female Channa tend to be the more outgoing of the pair, while males tend to be more shy and timid. My experiences match this it's always the females who come out to meet me and beg for food while males hide in the background watching.
And again all those differences are really only identifiable with adult specimens. The best bet is to keep small ones together until you start to see injuries, males will start to fight each other first ripped dorsal fins are a good sign of sparing males and/or females rejecting extra males advances because they have chosen a different mate. Extra females will also get bullied by a newly formed pair.
Hope that helps, I've never kept Gaucha but my research into them showed the Differences between genders seems to be pretty consistent among the Gaucha/stewartii/aurantimaculata type snakeheads from northern india, I also found the same generic gender differences were apparent with my Asiatica as well.
Hope that helps,
However as with most Channa differences are minor and unless you have the M/F to use as a comparison it's very hard to pinpoint the differences. Add to this that the Gaucha have a wide natural range and several varieties it becomes even harder to say for sure. Another major factor to keep in mind when sexing them is that the over all health of the fish along with how it is kept and fed will also effect their color and body shape.
To compare mature adults look for the following:
Males : Narrower body with a a wider and more arched dorsal fin with more color when compared to the female.
Females: A bulkier more rounded body shape with less colorful and a more narrower dorsal fin.
Males tend to have a more "arrow shaped" skull females having a more "square" scull shape. But this is VERY hard to see. In my experience unless the male is sitting next to the female for direct comparison the head shape differences are not apparent.
Attitude wise I've hear many people mention the female Channa tend to be the more outgoing of the pair, while males tend to be more shy and timid. My experiences match this it's always the females who come out to meet me and beg for food while males hide in the background watching.
And again all those differences are really only identifiable with adult specimens. The best bet is to keep small ones together until you start to see injuries, males will start to fight each other first ripped dorsal fins are a good sign of sparing males and/or females rejecting extra males advances because they have chosen a different mate. Extra females will also get bullied by a newly formed pair.
Hope that helps, I've never kept Gaucha but my research into them showed the Differences between genders seems to be pretty consistent among the Gaucha/stewartii/aurantimaculata type snakeheads from northern india, I also found the same generic gender differences were apparent with my Asiatica as well.
Hope that helps,