My first Channa fish

[Chrislisk]

Hi All

I’ve ventured over to my first snake heads. Always kept African haps and peacocks and really wanted a change.

I have managed to get a pair albeit not sure if it’s male and female Channa Bleheri. They are pretty small at around 3.5 inches each and I have them on there own in a tank which is H48, W80, D37cm. It’s just over 100 litres.

a few questions:

1. what is the best temperature to keep these fish at? I am aware they are sub tropical but is it a year round temp or should I do a winter and summer. If so what’s the ideal temp for them.

2. is my tank ok from a size perspective? They are both small at the moment and on their own, I intend to keep it that way. Can they be ok in there for the foreseeable?

3. how often should I feed them and what’s best?

4. I have an internal power filter that does 5 times the water at the moment….I’d this ok? Or too much? As I have heard they prefer slow current.
Thanks

 

[Rtc/tsn]

Hi All

I’ve ventured over to my first snake heads. Always kept African haps and peacocks and really wanted a change.

I have managed to get a pair albeit not sure if it’s male and female Channa Bleheri. They are pretty small at around 3.5 inches each and I have them on there own in a tank which is H48, W80, D37cm. It’s just over 100 litres.

a few questions:

1. what is the best temperature to keep these fish at? I am aware they are sub tropical but is it a year round temp or should I do a winter and summer. If so what’s the ideal temp for them.

2. is my tank ok from a size perspective? They are both small at the moment and on their own, I intend to keep it that way. Can they be ok in there for the foreseeable?

3. how often should I feed them and what’s best?

4. I have an internal power filter that does 5 times the water at the moment….I’d this ok? Or too much? As I have heard they prefer slow current.
Thanks

Not sure on what to feed but if you have 2 rainbows they can live in the 100liter for a bit but will need a bigger tank if you want to keep both

 

[Chrislisk]

How long do you think they will be ok? I’ve got a 200 litre 3.5foot tank that they will eventually go in but wanted them in this smaller one for as long as possible.

also how fast do they grow?

tbanks

 

[Krismo962]

I think headbanger_jib bred bleheri before.
2 channa will almost always kill each other (even if it's a M and F) if not introduced properly.
The SH forum is very inactive these days..Channa headquaters is a good FB group if you want advice from seasoned channa keepers. Also,are you from the UK?

 

[headbanger_jib]

1. what is the best temperature to keep these fish at? I am aware they are sub tropical but is it a year round temp or should I do a winter and summer. If so what’s the ideal temp for them.

They can be kept in 24-28 degree celcius range
When I kept them in southern India, i never did anything to control the temperature

2. is my tank ok from a size perspective? They are both small at the moment and on their own, I intend to keep it that way. Can they be ok in there for the foreseeable?

I was successful in keeping them in a 50gallon and couldn't stop them from breeding again and again.

Although I used a sponge filter and nitrates were kept such that they were above 40ppm but less than 160ppm

3. how often should I feed them and what’s best?

They are best fed once in 2-3 days, else they become fat quite quick

These are quite active channa, and are quite tolerant of tank mates that don't fit in their mouth and also can be kept in groups until a breeding pair is formed

4. I have an internal power filter that does 5 times the water at the moment….I’d this ok? Or too much? As I have heard they prefer slow current.
Thanks

They will not appreciate current in the tank, a bubble filter will be much appreciated

 

[Chrislisk]

Brilliant!! Thanks for all the advice. So I’ve turned my heater off now as I could not the water temp below 25c (77f) my water temp is now 23/24, I’m sure it will decrease when the light is off, which I’m going to leave as it is then turn the heater back on during our summertime to around 26 (77-78).

I've not got a bubble filter but my filter does have an adjustable flow so I have turned this right down so there is barely any flow.

On the subject of my two Channa fish, is there any behaviour that would show ones and boy and the other a girl? These two fish seem to show what I can only describe as affection towards each other. I’ve seen them actually rub each others head together and almost twist and turn around each other, one even laid it head on the others back, it’s lovely to watch. Is it possible these are a little bonded pair?
The shop that got them for me had said he had them together on there own for weeks and they genuinely seemed to love being with one another. He said all the others he has had end up killing one of each other.

Other than their behaviour one is very slightly larger in the body has more colour and is more vibrant, also this same fish has an orange edging around its tail fin. Whilst the other one does have lovely colours it’s a little muted and does not have the orange edge or nearly as nice colours as the other. Does these sound like a male and female?

lastly I have read people not doing water changes for months, is this right? I’ve always had African cichlids so feeding was massive and so was the water changes….I do about 60% weekly and they love It, I understand this is not the case with my Channa. Can they live in such high nitrate levels or should I do weekly small water changes to ensure nice fresh water.

thanks

 

[Chrislisk]

Also………I have some black water extract that I can add to the water to help lower the ph. We’re I live in the uk it’s around 7.5 so pretty hard. Should I start adding this extract? I used to use it in a black water bio tank I had.

 

[Chrislisk]

Just thought it would be worthwhile getting them Identified as they were sold to me as Bleheri but looking at all the threads and pics I think they maybe Assam
Here pics of them both.

 

[Krismo962]

C.andrao not C.bleheri.

 

[headbanger_jib]

Channa andrao
Pretty much similar tank and water requirements

Except for the fact that these are a bit more aggressive than the bleheri