Polly vs parachanna obscura

[uwe]

Hello,

channarox had said the most important things about Channa obscura ... from the side of the keeper.
If you want to know much more about Obscura and other snakeheads: In the sub-forum about snakeheads is a person who knows much more about Channa than the most people (for me he is the "Channa-pope") ... pallestopheles!
He might be the person who's keeping the most Channa species at home (about 40 tanks!) - try it!

Greetings

Uwe

 

[FishGoneWild]

parachanna obscura is the african snakehead.
as stated,it can eat very big fish nearly its own size and grow very fast.
they are also one of the more aggressive snakeheads.

Yes sir, I know parachanna obscura is an african snakehead.. It was a typo in my previous post. There is another african snakehead called the africana parachanna. What I meant was is AFRICANA PARACHANNA compatible with bichirs? If someone has any info please reply.

 

[uwe]

Hello,

Parachanna africana (or Channa africana) is a very rare species and very seldom kept ...

The few individuals that comes to Europe were randomly imported (as Parachanna/Channa obscura) - it seems that all african snakeheads are aggressive. Africana do not grow up that size as Obscura (about 25cm) but is also aggressive.

If onewill keep together bichirs and snakeheads - Channa gachua will work best. They are not as agressive as other species but keep in mind:

If snakeheads are breeding they become killers! They will kill everything in the tank!

So you can only keep one individual with your bichirs ...

Snakeheads are aggressive when keeping together - mostly lethal for one snakehead.

You also can keep Channa pulchra but you have to keep in mind that they are subtropic and don't like higher temperature. I'm keeping mine together with senegalus, weeksi and a small ornate in a tank at 23 degrees (Celsius). It works good for all of them - they are all growing well.

Greetings

Uwe

 

[bromie88]

i thought keeping snakeheads together in general was a bad idea. i was also told that they tend not to get along to well with fish that appear the same as themseves. i.e long cylindrical fishes like weather loaches and similar looking fish, like polypterus.

does this mean that i actually can have snakeheads again?

 

[FishGoneWild]

i thought keeping snakeheads together in general was a bad idea. i was also told that they tend not to get along to well with fish that appear the same as themseves. i.e long cylindrical fishes like weather loaches and similar looking fish, like polypterus.

does this mean that i actually can have snakeheads again?

UWe was referring to dwarf specy of snakeheads. Not all snakeheads are crazily aggressive like the media portrays. You could have snakehead in a community tank as long as you choose wisely.

 

[uwe]

Hello,

i only can talk about my personal experience with snakeheads kept together with polypterids - and other fish ...

Channa gachua works very well with my bichirs - P.polli, P.lapradei, P.delhezi and P.teugelsi .... especially there's a weird community between teugelsi and gachua!
They are together the most time and the teugelsi do not snap (as he do with the other bichirs). As Carole King had sung: "I've got a friend" ...
Gachua's bad behaviour came out by my Herpetopneustes fossilis - he had bitten him constantly before the teugelsi came ito the tank. But now there's peace at all!
The Channa pulchra also works wenn with the bichirs (P.senegalus, P.weeksi and P.ornatipinnis). No bites, no aggressions ... but C.pulchra do not work well with a lonely Sajica cichlid (i cannot get him out of the tank, he's too smart that i can catch him - too much hiding places in the tank!) - the Sajica constantly attacked the C.pulchra (yes, not otherwise!) when the pulchra was smaller - but now the pulchra strikes back and the sajica had cooled down (after a powerful bite of the pulchra).

We have to keep attention about the fact that snakeheads and bichirs are fish with a strong "character" or "personality" - when it works in one tank there's the possibility it will not work in another ...

Greetings

Uwe

 

[uwe]

Hello,

here's a pic with Channa gachua and Polypterus lapradei shortly after feeding ...