young giant snakehead

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gatti67

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 6, 2010
13
0
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England
i have come in posession of two rescue snake heads, 1 channa micro about 3 inch long and
1 channa marulious about 4 inch long, i know these are going to be big and will at some stage have to move them on(flog them or give them away) but for now they are only small
and no prob. micro. is in a 95ltr tank and great snakehead is in a 182ltr tank, i have a jewel 450 and a jewel 400 but one has an oscar in it that would eat either one and the other has a large jag who is meen.
What my prob. is, is that i dont know what to feed them that is handy, i am worried because i once killed a young micro by over feeding him or by feeding him prawns, not sure which.

I would also like to know how often to feed them.
I am not a novice with snakeheads i have brought up channa pulcra, asiatica, stewarti, auranti and sp blue.
I really dont want to lose these 2 and dont really know what happend to the other, he was healthy one day, refused to eat the next and stayed at the top and within 2 more days was at the bottom dead, and i dont know why, i know theyre only fish.
 
95l is going to be small in no time. A better "rescue" (again IMO) would have been to have a tank ready for it for at least into mid growth before taking it on.

So on that note, good luck with your fish.

As for help, if it stops you bursting a blood vessel, I can suggest bumping your temperature up to the 30s and gut loading CLEAN feeders (not goldfish) with pellets and vitamins.
The higher temps will kick start the metabolism. Keep feeding at these temps for a couple of weeks multiple times, daily.
Then very slowly (over the space of a week) bring the temperature down and stop food for 2 weeks.
After this time, feed the very same feeders as before, but this time dead, but stuffed with dry pellets. (when you throw them in the tank try and splash them as hard as you can)
Your Channa SHOULD pounce on the feeder when it sees the splash and will recognize the smell. repeat this for a few weeks slowly reducing the amount of feeder meat covering the pellets.
Hopefully in matter of weeks it will take to the pellets only.

Once you get to this stage, it will most likely take to anything you throw in the tank that smells edible! You can now supplement the pellets with smelt, silversides, earthworms (CLEAN) and Beef heart as well as the occasional shrimp.

This is how I got my Micros and Marulius and Marulioides to take to dry food. (the VERY difficult task)

and remember, in matter of months 4" will become:

29zz9g6.jpg



... now breath.
 
tokyogasmask said:
95l is going to be small in no time. A better "rescue" (again IMO) would have been to have a tank ready for it for at least into mid growth before taking it on.


So on that note, good luck with your fish.

As for help, if it stops you bursting a blood vessel, I can suggest bumping your temperature up to the 30s and gut loading CLEAN feeders (not goldfish) with pellets and vitamins.
The higher temps will kick start the metabolism. Keep feeding at these temps for a couple of weeks multiple times, daily.
Then very slowly (over the space of a week) bring the temperature down and stop food for 2 weeks.
After this time, feed the very same feeders as before, but this time dead, but stuffed with dry pellets. (when you throw them in the tank try and splash them as hard as you can)
Your Channa SHOULD pounce on the feeder when it sees the splash and will recognize the smell. repeat this for a few weeks slowly reducing the amount of feeder meat covering the pellets.
Hopefully in matter of weeks it will take to the pellets only.

Once you get to this stage, it will most likely take to anything you throw in the tank that smells edible! You can now supplement the pellets with smelt, silversides, earthworms (CLEAN) and Beef heart as well as the occasional shrimp.

This is how I got my Micros and Marulius and Marulioides to take to dry food. (the VERY difficult task)

and remember, in matter of months 4" will become:

29zz9g6.jpg



... now breath.
Click to expand...

Sound advice
 
The temps, very interesting, i never thought about that and the pact feeders, cracking idea, do you recomend hikary pellets or would cat fish pellets be ok, plz excuse the spelling.
Will take this advice and put it to work.
The snake heads would be dead now ! if i didnt take them, i told the lad he could have them back any time he got a decent set up.
If i need to i can move things around and free up my 450, which should hold one for a while, but ime not short of money and may just get a nice 800ltr tank for the garage.
Anyway, all the best and thanks for the great advice.
 
Just an update on my Channa micro. And the great snakehead I rescued.
I am pleased to say, I have found a home for the two fish with a friend in the trade who is interested in Channa,
But im thinking about keeping the micro. Any thoughts on which would be the more interesting of the two in the long term would be greatly appreciated.
I am thinking about an 8*4*3 tank, this should hold either one long term, m I correct?
He is fine in the 95ltr hospital tank for now as he is only 4 1/2 inches and then he can go into my 100gal tank.
I would realy like to know at best, how long can I keep him in the 100 gal.
Please no flippant or ill natured replies as im only interested in positive help.
Many thanks.
 
Just an update on my Channa micro. And the great snakehead I rescued.
I am pleased to say, I have found a home for the two fish with a friend in the trade who is interested in Channa,
But im thinking about keeping the micro. Any thoughts on which would be the more interesting of the two in the long term would be greatly appreciated.
I am thinking about an 8*4*3 tank, this should hold either one long term, m I correct?
He is fine in the 95ltr hospital tank for now as he is only 4 1/2 inches and then he can go into my 100gal tank.
I would realy like to know at best, how long can I keep him in the 100 gal.
Please no flippant or ill natured replies as im only interested in positive help.
Many thanks.
 
Long term is a pond.
It isn't just the 3-4ft+ that they can get to, but also the bulk. These things can destroy tanks or injure themselves trying as adults.
 
tokyogasmask said:
Long term is a pond.
It isn't just the 3-4ft+ that they can get to, but also the bulk. These things can destroy tanks or injure themselves trying as adults.
Click to expand...
I have a pond but would rather be able to see what will be costing me so much to have.
Would you be able to give me any idea of at what point I would be needing to move him (age of fish I mean) from each tank, I should have the big aquarium in the next month, but that will be in the garage, so that means we won't see him as much.
He is 4 1/2 inches now and in a 3'6"*15"*18" hospital tank, so I can watch him, then 100ltr , then 8' *4'*3' , then if I have to I will convert the pond.
Didn't you have one of these big boys Tokyo?
Thanks for the reply.
 
Yep, I had 2, and ended up passing them on for the very reason you said. (not seeing them in a pond)
They grow very quick and I find have a growth spurt from around 8".

I think the 100g will last till around May 2012, then it will go into the 8f tank.
The thing that makes these not really suitable for home Aquaria (IMO) is not only the sheer size and weight they grow to, but also the terrible waste of a huge tank for 1 single fish!

Good luck mate!
 
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