Which Snakehead should I go for? (first Channa) 4x2x2

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Johnny Buchan

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2015
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Scotland UK
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this so hoping to get a bit of friendly advice from you guys.

Bit of background:
I have kept reptiles in the past and have owned; 2x leopard geckos, 1x flying gecko, 1x bearded dragon, 2x Australian water dragons (can't believe i decided to give these beautiful creatures up).
All of which were looked after extremely well and those that did not die of old age were passed on to new loving families that were schooled on their care by myself :)
Although I have never maintained a tank myself, my dad was into tropical / sub-tropical fish when i was younger and so was my grandfather...

Having done a bit of research I am dead set on a snakehead.

I have acquired a 4x2x2ft tank from a friend who is moving from tropical to marine fish.


What is the largest snakehead you would recommend for a tank of this size?
(I had thought Channa aurantimaculata would be a good fit)
Do all auranti's get some blue colouring as i have seen a couple pictures online where there is little to none?

Since i would be keeping it as a single specimen tank i want the fish to be very attractive but also be as large as possible.

Ornatipinnis is a nice looking snakehead but I leaned towards auranti as it can grow up to 40cm rather than 30 and so is larger with arguably nicer colouring.


Tank-wise i was intending on going with a very basic tank to show off the fish... black gravel substrate, few large rocks & maybe a large piece of driftwood.
I am open to suggestions - i realise that many people prefer to provide plenty of hiding places and use real pants etc - I am not completely ruling this out as i loved decorating the vivs for the lizards and potentially would enjoy a bit of aquascaping providing it doesn't get trashed by the snakehead darting around LOL.


Look forwards to your responses :)
 
Hi Johnny,

I believe an auranti would be a good choice for your 4x2x2.
As regards the decor, I would use dw and (plenty, plenty of) plants. You can use some rocks if you like, but the plants should be seen as a must, specially (but not limited to) floating ones.
In order to see the channa and really enjoy its behaviour you should give them the habitat of their choice. It may seem paradoxical, but the less you see of the tank, the more you will see of your channa!
If you provide a plant-free habitat the channa will most likely feel insecure and therefore stay hidden most of the time.
 
Joao M said:
Hi Johnny,

I believe an auranti would be a good choice for your 4x2x2.
As regards the decor, I would use dw and (plenty, plenty of) plants. You can use some rocks if you like, but the plants should be seen as a must, specially (but not limited to) floating ones.
In order to see the channa and really enjoy its behaviour you should give them the habitat of their choice. It may seem paradoxical, but the less you see of the tank, the more you will see of your channa!
If you provide a plant-free habitat the channa will most likely feel insecure and therefore stay hidden most of the time.
Click to expand...

Thanks v much for the response :)

I take it dw = driftwood?
I do understand that providing a natural environment (or as close to) would be beneficial to the fish. Particularly in the 'settling in' period. I suppose I've just seen loads of tanks for larger varieties that are quite barron and I had come to the conclusion I would go for something in between the 2 extremes.

I may go with a heavily planted side and a more open side for feeding so I get the best of both worlds.

Are there any other snakeheads thst would be a good fit for the tank?
I've pretty much already concluded that auranti is best suited based on colour and size.
I would potentially sacrifice a bit of colour for a bit more size (not so big that it couldnt turn) or sacrifice some size for colour.

Think auranti is perfect tbh just don't want to have missed anything during my research :)
 
Aurantimaculata would be as big as you could go in that tank, even a pair would be fine .

All Auranti have the potential to show spectacular color , washed out ones with full colors are a result or the wrong living conditions.

Joao M's advise was spot on. Floating cover is a MUST and the more decor
the better . If you force a channa to be exposed it will be stressed resulting in a ale washed out fish who will spend allday hiding under or behind whatever it can and all night bouncing off the lid trying to escape. If you fill a tank so thick that you can't see through it the channa will be very bold and always sit front and center.

Don't belive every picture and video online , MANY people keep channa incorrectly , they show off pics in brand new tanks and don't advertise when the fish die within a year , often due to them jumping out at night to try and find a more suitable habitate.

Hope that helps!
 
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Btw channa is an excellent choice , I also kept many reptiles before I got into fish keeping and it's channa that really got me hooked on this hobby!
 
-DC- said:
Aurantimaculata would be as big as you could go in that tank, even a pair would be fine .

All Auranti have the potential to show spectacular color , washed out ones with full colors are a result or the wrong living conditions.

Joao M's advise was spot on. Floating cover is a MUST and the more decor
the better . If you force a channa to be exposed it will be stressed resulting in a ale washed out fish who will spend allday hiding under or behind whatever it can and all night bouncing off the lid trying to escape. If you fill a tank so thick that you can't see through it the channa will be very bold and always sit front and center.

Don't belive every picture and video online , MANY people keep channa incorrectly , they show off pics in brand new tanks and don't advertise when the fish die within a year , often due to them jumping out at night to try and find a more suitable habitate.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the help. I am defiantly going for an auranti. As soon as I get the set up in order I'll be sure to post pics and again on reciept of my auranti... need to find a the right dealer still but I'm sure it won't take long once I start digging.
 
-DC- said:
Btw channa is an excellent choice , I also kept many reptiles before I got into fish keeping and it's channa that really got me hooked on this hobby!
Click to expand...

Can't wait. I always prided myself on my water dragon set up. Might 'fish out' some pics of that to share with you guys as well as the tank and auranti once I'm all set up :)
 
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