New pickup!

[ozwald]

So I was going to wait a little longer before buying my first channa, but I searched online and found that the LFS had some channa bleheri in stock.
I thought I'd go and see what they were like, and if good then Id get a couple and find a couple more from somewhere else in the next few weeks.

Anyway, I get to the shop and found two on their own and a smaller group in another tank. Turns out the two had paired in the shop and started attacking the others. Now I wasn't planning on getting a pair, but long term I thought it would be cool if I could get a pair.
The non-paired channa looked pretty beat up and the two healthy.
Price wise it was the same for the pair as the others, and one of the pair was significantly bigger than the others.

So guess what...

Showing my true fish addiction and impatients, i got the pair

As you can see in the photos below, they changed colour a lot after they settled a little.
In fact they changed so much I'm not even sure they're Bleheri???
I'm a little new to Channa, but they look a bit like Gachua to me???
Anyone know for sure?

Either way I'm pretty happy!

 

[chronick]

nice i'd say gachua, 100% not bleheri

 

[gigas12]

Hi,yes I agree with chronick!

 

[ozwald]

So definately gachua?
Anything majorly Different to bleheri I should but might not know?

 

[Brucki]

HI,

I cant see pelvic fins. But maybe due to the pictures. When they have pelvics, they are gachua, If they dont have, they are orientalis.
But for me they look preety much gachuesque ;-)

I would beat the LFS-ass for selling these as bleheri, its so easy to id bleheri.

Most gachua can stand tropical conditions, oriantalis are tropical, too. Bleheri are not, thats the difference.
Feed them on Crustaceans (freshwatershrimp) or mosquito larvae. They like cichlid sticks, earthworms (from tackleshop or garden), crickets, mealworms,...
They will even eat fish, but are not speciallized on eating fish. So the main diet should be insects and crustaceans.

Have fun with them

Cheers

 

[Outlander]

Look exactly the same as mine. Lovely little channa. And mine have just spat fry!

 

[ozwald]

Look exactly the same as mine. Lovely little channa. And mine have just spat fry!

Congratulations! I assume you know yours to be gachua?

 

[flipstylex]

not bad, !

 

[Outlander]

Congratulations! I assume you know yours to be gachua?

Yep, they were being sold as C gachua bengalli. Which are exactly the same as sp 'turquoise' the only difference is juvenile turqs have an 'eye spot' on their dorsal fin and the bengalli's don't.
After a closer look at your pic I noticed that they look very similar apart from yours have a clear white chin/throat area were as mine are mottled grey and white. Nice looking channa though! Best of luck with them.

 

[requin]

i think i have one channa the same as yours