Reply With QuoteVery striking indeedOriginally Posted by nicholasliao
. They may be one of those species, like Channa sp 'red fin, with dull body colours but their blue finnage are amazing!
An old video to share.
Their tank has been upgraded long since.
I love the butleri. Their red tip on the tails are very striking
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Very striking indeed
An old video to share.
Their tank has been upgraded long since.
Beginning to have a little interest in this species.
But the problem is their humongous adult size and temperament! That is what kept hobbyist away from having them in their home aquarium i suppose..
I assume Channa species like other fishes also has those 'smaller' versions where the adults grow to no more than 1ft?
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Which species are you referring to? If it's harcourtbutleri, it is not a well described species and there can be a substantial mix of sizes as a result, ranging from 20-35cm.
I'm pretty sure that the babies that Kai sells are of the smaller variation as that appears to be the case with the adults.
Channa harcourtbutleris reach to around 20cm. it is one of the smaller species in the Channidae family. Other small species are Channa bankanensis, orientalis and certain forms of C gachua, bleheri and andrao (previously sp assam). These species usually max out below 1ft. C orientalis is rare, or at least i have not seen it before.
Temperament depends mainly on the individual snakehead. My auranti is huge and yet super super gentle towards fishes. I would think also because they were adapted to hunt crustaceans and insects based on their body and head shape. For example, channa aurantimaculata have huge fins and a big rounded head to perhaps crush insects and inverterbrat shells, whereas Channa micropeltes or diplogramma have a sleeker or more "muscular" built for explosive speed and smaller/shorter anal and dorsal fins to fold back to be more aerodynamic when hunting fishes. Abit of digression and my own personal theory and observation, but this helps me to determine their temperament and what kinds of food they hunt. I placed live fish and crustaceans with my c auranti and he hunted and ate the live crustaceans, but left the fish alone till today. My diplos on the other hand, they eat fish and small inverts.
Another reason that people stay away from Channas is that their colours are washed out in the shops, especially the case with sub tropcal species. Thus people think they are dull and boring, but when properly cared for, they are among the most beautiful, colourful and graceful of fishes, in my opinion. Also, people don't like to dedicate a huge tank for a single species, although this is what also attracts me to keep Channas.
Hi Kai..
Another good and well written explanation from you (to convince me at least). Its good to hear that there are species of these magnificient fish that max out to only below 1ft. I have to believe you on this fact because you are the experienced one here.
Can't stop looking over your snakehead pictures again and again! Its like they are begging me to have them.
Well.. I have a spare 2ft now sitting in my room. Wondering wether should I or should I not..
I need a biased opinion on this one. Haha!
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You ought to note that small snakeheads, with the exception of channa orientalis and what appears to be the less Colourful variations of channa gachua, are probably subtropical. Correct me if I'm wrong, just ticking off species possibilities off my mind.
You can certainly keep them tropical, but they will not look as display friendly as Kai's specimens.
Thank you, you are too kind. I have my snakehead's beauty to thank for honwstlyHi Kai..
Another good and well written explanation from you (to convince me at least). Its good to hear that there are species of these magnificient fish that max out to only below 1ft. I have to believe you on this fact because you are the experienced one here.
Can't stop looking over your snakehead pictures again and again! Its like they are begging me to have them.
Well.. I have a spare 2ft now sitting in my room. Wondering wether should I or should I not..
I need a biased opinion on this one. Haha!
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channa bankanensis and certain types of Channa gachua variants are tropical. The gachua depends on its locality. I keep one C gachua teopically, but its from our local drains
. For C orientalis, i think its sub tropical, not so sure on that one. Never kept it before so i am not familiar. If sub tropicals are kept at tropiical conditions, they will be washed out, lethargic and will develop diseases like fungus and eventually die.
Hmm ok understood. :thumbup:
In that case, can you please recommend me on a small species of this beautiful snakehead based on the right condition (tropical) and species type?
I dont wish to jump right in and make an impulse decision (as always) before knowing and understanding its species requirements and to especially know its max out adult size.. Knowing that i only have a 2ft to start off with..
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When you ask me to introduce a beautiful snakehead species, i'm biased, i call all of them beautiful. For small tropical species, i'll go with Channa bankanensis. They are small and one of the slower growing channas. Mine is around 20cm currently, think a little smaller. These guys sadly are uncommon. Otherwise, Channa gachua from tropical climates would do well too. Depending on the location, some grow smaller and some grow bigger, some will be tropical and some sub tropical. You have to ask the importer where they bring theirs in from to truly know what you are dealing with. Channa gachua has a ton of varieties so its going to be a little more confusing. For other dwarf tropical species i know, which grow to around 30cm are species such as; Channa melasoma, baramensis, punctata and panaw. These are the ones that come to mind, others i know are tank busters. Very very sadly, C melasoma and baramensia is rare, never seen them before in the trade. The hobbyist who own these species mainly catch them from the wild.
Hope it helps
I would suggest that you acquaint yourself with some variations of Channa gachua by looking around online on established forums like "snakehead forum". A number of them can be lookers.
Personally am a fan of blue iridescence here, so I would not pick bankanensis based on colour alone. Of course the choice is yours.
Oh yes, a little off topic. But if you have Channa bleheri that you no longer want to keep anymore Kai, please let me know. Or perhaps the next spawn of harcourtbutleri will do as well.
For blue irridescence, channa gachuas are the way to go. The tropical dwarves aren't as colourful, so C gachuas are more likely a better choice. Delhezi i have messaged you about the channas.
Yey! I see some development here with our conversation..
Nonetheless.. I will have to be doing some further research and additional reading from 'other snakehead' forums as well just to be more familiar with the species i guess..
Thank you for the suggestions. All inputs and advices from here much appreciated. :thumbup:
Oww by the way.. I was wondering if theres any reputable aquarium shops here that houses these species for me to just drop by and see-see look-look..
Why?? Because i am already 'running in' my 2ft tank. Don't blame me..
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Hope our advice helped
for snakehead shopping, i usuay visit pasir ris shops, clementi shops or seaview
a rare series for me, Channa harcourtbutleri appearance.
Breathing sequence.
Gorgeous!
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what type of small fishes are those? are they feeders? there is a lot of them.
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Those are the snakehead hatchlings LOL
Oh I see, that is a lot.
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