For the experienced channa keepers

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rumblesushi

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2005
3,113
4
0
44
ENGLAND
Have you ever had a really aggressive juvenile snakehead? Or is there a particular species of channa that is incredibly aggressive even as a juvenile?

The reason I ask is my little albino channa that I believe to be a striata is a non stop killing machine.

I got him when he was 3.5 inches and looked like an overgrown tadpole. See the pic below.

He's now 6 inches and filled out a lot.

He's been on a non stop killing spree since i got him a few weeks ago. Other than fish I've seperated quickly, he's killed everything I've put him in with.

And the final test came a couple of days ago, to test his compatibility with a bigger, tough fish. I removed a divider and let him loose with a 6 inch oscar. The oscar was obviously much bigger, higher and fatter with a much bigger head. Proabably weighed about 4 x more.

Literally as soon as the divider was removed the channa went up to the oscar, nose to nose, and when the oscar didn't move the channa bit it on the side of the head and darted off. He then started darting around and repeatedly striking the oscar anywhere he could. The oscar is a proud fish and fought back bravely, bit the channa a couple of times when he channa closed in.

But despite the channa being the significantly smaller fish, the oscar was outmatched. The channa was too fast and too ferocious.

I quickly seperated them and put the oscar with his partner before either fish got hurt.

Now as far as I know, a juvenile channa to be THIS aggressive is unusual. I used to own a micropeltes and when he was young he was not even close to being this aggressive. He was only this aggressive when he got to about 18 inches or so.

And other snakeheads I've seen are not this aggressive, i've seen people successfully mix giants and cobras etc with other similar sized fish.

I've been testing mine all the time and he simply can't be put with anything, even at this age. He's terrorized or killed every fish he's seen including a significantly bigger jardini and the oscar.

So for those with more experience than me with snakeheads, how unusual is it for a snakehead to be quite this aggressive whilst still so young?

channa.jpg
 
This is what i refer to as exceptional cases...

some fish are just psychotic and some are just so damn docile.

In your case you just so happened to get a psychotic one. I had fishes like this before. A dovii that would act all shy in front of you and really well behaved in the comm tank till you switched of the lights then he would get medieval on everyone.

and there was a New Guinea datnoid that was totally fine in the previous owner's tank but became totally nuts when shifted to mine.

Its just their personality i guess.
 
That's kind of what I thought Io. My snakehead is a certified psycho.

Whereas my hoplias which is meant to be a killer is a pretty docile fish. He's never tried to attack anything that's not small enough to be food, and he usually waits till I go to sleep before eating. He's shy and not very aggressive at all.

My channa is OBSCENELY aggressive. Relentless too. Every fish that's been in there with him has ended up just hiding behind a filter and never coming out. As soon as they come out he attacks them without hesitation.

Very funny fish.
 
rumblesushi said:
That's kind of what I thought Io. My snakehead is a certified psycho.

Whereas my hoplias which is meant to be a killer is a pretty docile fish. He's never tried to attack anything that's not small enough to be food, and he usually waits till I go to sleep before eating. He's shy and not very aggressive at all.

My channa is OBSCENELY aggressive. Relentless too. Every fish that's been in there with him has ended up just hiding behind a filter and never coming out. As soon as they come out he attacks them without hesitation.

Very funny fish.
Click to expand...

One other solution... get a tankmate so large he cant possibly bully it.

Sometimes these fish need a good knock on the head to snap out of it.
 
that's why I tried him with the oscar, but he started trying to whup the oscar :D

Here is a photo I took yesterday at 6 inches, changed a fair bit since the above pic

channa2.jpg
 
Compared to a snakehead maybe not - but then what is? They are aggressive though, and more than aggressive they are brave. They won't readily back down from any fish, not even my hoplias which is at least 8 inches.

And my point was that the oscar was FOUR TIMES THE SIZE of my little channa. I've netted both of these guys recently, and the oscar weighs at least 4x as much.

Can you think of many fish that would attack a tough fish like an oscar that was about 4 times the size?

my point is that the channa has attacked everything it's seen. I think a fish would have to be around 10x the size for my channa to back down.
 
My striata is the same way, a surly fish.
When a fish claims the whole tank, then
other fish have no chance.

I tried a few tank mates and striata just
goes in for the kill.

Your best bet would be to remove the fish.
Then change the tank around, add the victim.
Then add the striata back and see what happens.

If that don't work then just keep it by itself.

Striata is one of the most vicious channa, I'm not surprised, its a killer.
 
monster - when I tried him with the oscar it was in the oscar's tank :)

The oscar has been in that tank for AGES, and I temporarily put the channa in a divider while I bought and setup a new tank.

I then took out the divider and within 2 seconds the channa was in the oscar's face starting trouble.

Are striata meant to be even more vicious than micropeltes?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobsBitchyBottom
Status
Not open for further replies.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom