Snakehead & Current

[DammitKhoa]

I've taken a long break from fish keeping but in the mean time, I've spent some time on the waters, doing some fishing. With the northern snakehead here on the east coast of the US, it's quite the adrenaline rush with a snakehead on the other end of your line. Though I've come a long way from the first half dozen outings when I went home empty handed, I feel there's much more to learn about them. Though this is more "fishing" related, I always rely on MFK when it comes down to the deeper understanding on the behavior and anatomy of fish (and no other better at knowledge on snakeheads than you channa folks). With that said, I've always noticed that they always avoid currents.

Locally, people will travel along the bank and catch them behind large rocks, the only place for them to hide from the current. One of the main places I fish is in deep algae that collects by the shore. The algae acts as a protective barrier where the current wouldn't be able to penetrate far, allowing the snakeheads a temporary home. My question is, why do they avoid currents? To those familiar with different subspecies, does this apply to other snakeheads as well? I figured with a pointy body shape and a lot of muscular tissue, they wouldn't mind a little breeze in the water. Does this have to do with their ability to breathe atmospheric air?

Edit: do you guys run circulation pumps in your aquarium tanks with channa? How do they react to it?

 

[-DC-]

Yes this is typical of most channa species . They prefer still waters with little to no flow.
I dont run any additional circulation or aeration in my channa tanks. Even the filters are turned to minimal flow almost a trickle . If you increase flow they avoid it, my older channa will actually spit gravel into filter intakes after i've
cleaned them. They seem to have learned that this will clog it up and slow the flow.