Pound for Pound toughest fish?

[Waldo]

A puffer has my vote. They have the best eating habits not to mention the fact even if they loose and get eaten they still kill the other guy.

 

[kevin714]

cobras are more slender than reds at the same length, eh? like, 1/3 less massive or what?

In my experience yes they get kinda close in the 10 to 20 inch range but the red is still always a little thicker. However judging by pictures and what I have seen in pet shops and comparing to what I had, at larger sizes a red is much thicker than a cobra maybe even twice as thick. I only grew a red to about 10 inches (he was mauled by the 14 inch cobra.) at those sizes they were about the same. I have grown a cobra to 2 feet, and like I said compared to some reds I have seen he was skinny. A 2 foot Dovii would be massive compared to it and it would be no contest. The cobra would have to be very long to match a 2 foot dovii in weight. I am basing all my opinions on full grown adult fish of equal weight. Oh BTW the red was tranferred from another tank due to space issues into the cobra tank so the cobra had the natural advantage over him. He did not kill him however but I had to get rid of the red.

 

[piranha45]

I did a google search on both channa myself, and yes it seems from photo comparisons that reds are significantly thicker than cobras.

 

[rumblesushi]

wow, didn't the red fight back?

Are cobras that aggressive?

 

[piranha45]

based on all the accounts I've read on, cobras and reds are of similar temperament.

its pretty common for the subdominant fish to not put up much of a fight, if any. if the red had been the 14" specimen and the cobra the 10" specimen, things obviously would have been reversed.

The fish with established territory also holds a blatant advantage as well, and in this case that was the cobra.

 

[Heppy]

reds also mature later than other species of snakeheads therefore don't get aggresive till there over 12"

 

[flowerfan]

I had own both red sh and cobra before at the same thank. Cobra usually more aggressive but red are most dangous fish when they are coming to eat. their massive teeth and jaw power can over come any fish just like feeder.

 

[kevin714]

The fish with established territory also holds a blatant advantage as well, and in this case that was the cobra.

I would agree with this and I think that is probably what happened. I would also agree that a cobra can be as agressive as a red. If everything was equal it would be a good fight.

 

[magic]

IMO for size the toughest fish are Western mosquito fish and Fairy Cichlids (brichardi).

 

[He_Man_81]

i'm pretty sure a full adult male wolf cichlid (dovii) would have to rate pretty tough. mine's only about 12 inches right now, and i haven't met anything that he's ever backed down to...