Channa Bleheri

[Dcollins85]

Hello, I am looking at getting a Channa Bleheri for my 30 US gallon tank. At the moment I am laying the substrate (2 inches of Black Flourite & 1 inch of gravel on top of that ). I have ordered 3 Amazon sword plants and 2 India ferns for the plants. I also will be adding a nice piece of Malaysian driftwood that is covered in flame moss. I hope to provide a nice living environment for this Channa Bleheri. With that being said I am very curious as to how I will handle algae in the tank... I have a 55g with 4 large Oranda goldfish and a pleco works wonders in that tank. Can I have a pleco with a Channa Bleheri? Or should I use snails? Or is there another method I could use?


Thanks!

 

[Verminator89]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Honestly the best cure/prevention of algae is good ol' tank maintenance. A nice regular routine of weekly water changes, not over feeding, keeping lighting to minimum required and not to excessively will all help towards keeping algae down. The good old fashioned ways cannot be beaten, and IMHO using livestock of any sort to be your 'quick fix' is never ideal, and should never be 'advised' per se.

Having said that, there is no harm in having a a said pleco in your tank, and a good ol' bristlenose will consume algae. One of a sufficient size would live quite happily with a channa bleheri i would have thought. So long as you are not buying a mature Channa to pop in your tank straight out. I'd be wary about over filling your 30G tank though, as i do believe a tank with Channa in AND other fish usually require a little more space than 30G. Don't qoute me on that as i have not kept a Channa.

James

 

[simonas]

if you can afford it Id buy more than the one channa as I would imagine that a tank containing one channa would be very dull, I say this as someone whos kept and bred different soecies of channa

They really do look good when grown on from young to get a pair

 

[gasmask]

Channa Bleheir are SUB TROPICAL.

Any fish you wish to keep with them need to be low end sub tropical (16c-21c)
All my Bleheri thrived at 19c all year except two summer months at 21c.

They bred in the summer months.

Keeping Sub-tropical Channa in tropical waters (23c+) will eventually lead to complications, and unhappy Channa.
Very suseptable to bacterial infections such as Columnaris in tropical waters.

So as you can see there is a reason why most Channa should be kept in species only tanks.

 

[Dcollins85]

Okay will keep that in mind.

 

[Dcollins85]

Without a heater in the tank my water is @ 68F or 20C. It's 1 degree more than the 19c and it's 1 degree off of the mating 21c. How can I keep it at a constant 19c if I have no heater?

Also, Gasmask - What do you do to combat algae in your Channa aquariums?

 

[gasmask]

Without a heater in the tank my water is @ 68F or 20C. It's 1 degree more than the 19c and it's 1 degree off of the mating 21c. How can I keep it at a constant 19c if I have no heater?

Also, Gasmask - What do you do to combat algae in your Channa aquariums?

Your temperature is fine.
Just try keeping around that same temps for the year, and in June/July, put a heater in and bump up to 21-24.

As for Algae, I use a very old traditional method called me!
I always clean my tanks by hand.
But then I never really have much of a problem with it is my tanks are not in direct sunlight, well filtered and I don't overfeed.
You could also try a UV in your filter.

 

[Dcollins85]

The Channa don't try to bite you? That's the only reason I was worried about cleaning it. I have 5 type of aquatic plants in the aquarium. Since I will have lights for growing I know algae will be a problem. Only reason I am concerned about it.

 

[gasmask]

The Channa don't try to bite you? That's the only reason I was worried about cleaning it. I have 5 type of aquatic plants in the aquarium. Since I will have lights for growing I know algae will be a problem. Only reason I am concerned about it.

When my Micropeltes got over 2ft, I wouldn't put my hands anywhere near them.

But Dwarf Channa such as Bleheri pose zero threat.

 

[Dcollins85]

Okay, thank you. I purchased 2 Channa Bleheri today. I'm having the place I ordered them from modify me a lid for my aquarium so that it'll be less likely that the Channa will escape. Once I get it set up with the plants and I have ran the filter for a day I will be adding the Channa to the tank. I will post pictures once it's all set up. I am really hoping to get two Channa that are paired or friendly with one another at least. I'd love to find a mate possible pair.

 

[gasmask]

Okay, thank you. I purchased 2 Channa Bleheri today. I'm having the place I ordered them from modify me a lid for my aquarium so that it'll be less likely that the Channa will escape. Once I get it set up with the plants and I have ran the filter for a day I will be adding the Channa to the tank. I will post pictures once it's all set up. I am really hoping to get two Channa that are paired or friendly with one another at least. I'd love to find a mate possible pair.

Great!
Though simply adding two is not a wise move.
Channa are very picky with their mates.
What is generally required for Channa is getting a group of 5/6 and hoping for a pair to bond, then remove the rest if it happens.

 

[Dcollins85]

I got my tank all set up, checked all the levels in it and everything was great. Plants are doing fine. I waited until the tank was doing good and than went and got my Bleheri... They keep trying to like.. intimidate their reflection or something. They're just staying near the sides of the tank going up and down like they're afraid or stressed out over their reflection. Will a back drop fix this?


Side note. The local fish store I got my Bleheri from said that since they are infants I should keep the temperature @ 78. He said they could incur fungal growth if it's at the temperature you recommended. I'm not calling you a liar but I am unsure of who to trust here. You, Gasmask, seem to be the Channa guru on this site so I am more inclined to trust you but... still up in the air.

 

[crayfishjamie]

Hi, they need to be kept at 18-21c or they will get disease.

 

[Dcollins85]

Some pictures:

 

[gasmask]

I got my tank all set up, checked all the levels in it and everything was great. Plants are doing fine. I waited until the tank was doing good and than went and got my Bleheri... They keep trying to like.. intimidate their reflection or something. They're just staying near the sides of the tank going up and down like they're afraid or stressed out over their reflection. Will a back drop fix this?


Side note. The local fish store I got my Bleheri from said that since they are infants I should keep the temperature @ 78. He said they could incur fungal growth if it's at the temperature you recommended. I'm not calling you a liar but I am unsure of who to trust here. You, Gasmask, seem to be the Channa guru on this site so I am more inclined to trust you but... still up in the air.

Hi.
Your LFS is incorrect.
Channa Bleheri even as juveniles are strictly sub-tropical.
Wild baby Bleheri don't travel from tropical to sub-tropical temperatures, and the same applies to your captive bred ones in your home tank.
Bacterial infections such as columnaris are very likely if kept in tropical waters.

I have bred Bleheri a number of times, I wonder if you LFS has done the same?
Check the below photos of my breeding group of Bleheri, and compare them to any Bleheri you will see in an LFS (or even most home aquaria) and i think (i hope) you will see who keeps Channa correctly.

On a side note, feel free to pop in to http/thesnakeheadforum.com I am a mod there.
It is the most resourceful and accurate Channa site on the web.

Here is my crew:

One of my females: (3rd time mother)

Pair: (male on the right)

Gang:

And this is what happens to single Channa when a breeding pair forms: (they get beaten by the formed pair until they die, so need to be removed!)