New snakehead set up

[Achilles1763]

Okay update time! Everyone is eating well and growing nicely, the cobras mouth has healed up and she (I think) has put on some good bulk and is looking a lot healthier. The pulchra are eating and growing well and no aggression issues. I can hand feed the cobra but not the pulchra yet.... hand feeding is a blast but the cobra seems to miss the bloody food and intentionally bite my fingers! Bigger tastier looking worns I guess. I have started feeding lots worms from the garden (as they are free and no Chems used) as well as the usual bloodworms, morio worms, locusts, mollies and river shrimp. I also feed beefheart occasionally as I was reading that snakeheads have a higher capacity to process the mammalian fats than other fish given their unique biology.
I have added floating plants and java moss and you can see the tank is looking more jungly now.
Going to put the tank into 3 Month winter cycle now they have settled in and bulked up. I have the heaters down to the lowest setting which is 18 degrees C. But the front room as rather warm (the misses is basically cold blooded!) and it might not get much cooler than 18-20 C... should I just turn them off and risk it?

 

[bathawk]

I dont think I could put a tank mate with my pulchra he goes nuts when he sees my rainbow snake head who is in another tank

 

[Achilles1763]

It helps that he is pretty tiny compared to the cobra.. and it's a female. So fingers crossed

 

[Madou]

It helps that he is pretty tiny compared to the cobra.. and it's a female. So fingers crossed

The Auranti is indeed a female!

Just make sure to watch out, in channas, particularily aurantis, the female is the killer. I believe the same can be said for pulchras.

 

[Achilles1763]

Ahh right... I didn't know females were the killers of the species! I assumed it would be the males.. oh well we will have to see all is well at the moment. Just hope I can get the tank temp down for a winter period for them.

 

[Gazham]

I never use a heater for subtropical fish inside the house. The temperatures never got below 16°c or above 22°c in the house (when I used to keep them in the house).
It's the same in the out house where I have my 1 remaining tank, the thermostat is set at 15°c to keep the chill off my guitars /electrical goods. It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on the thermometer while you discover the temperature range

 

[Madou]

Ahh right... I didn't know females were the killers of the species! I assumed it would be the males.. oh well we will have to see all is well at the moment. Just hope I can get the tank temp down for a winter period for them.

Males become the killers at one point: When there's fry. They will fight the female, and if one is not careful, kill her. But with you having a single one, it shouldn't happen.

 

[Achilles1763]

Thanks gents, I have un-plugged the heaters and will keep a close eye on the temp to Make sure it doesn't drop too low.

 

[PYRU]

That's a nice auranti setup. Owning snakeheads is frowned upon in these parts

 

[Achilles1763]

Thanks dude, yeah I hear it's a bit of a contentious issue in many countries... however it's one of the few advantages of living in the U.K.!