Channa-ornatipinnis

england

channa aka snakehead
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
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Bournemouth Dorset / Medellin Colombia
in exchange for my male jag brutis,,,,
i know they are sub-tropical and in theory they get to around 25cm est full size,
what type of food do they eat?
what substrate do i need to use?
this tank is going to be a species tank
 
in exchange for my male jag brutis,,,,
i know they are sub-tropical and in theory they get to around 25cm est full size,
what type of food do they eat?
what substrate do i need to use?
this tank is going to be a species tank

Well I have 1 of these, he was a present kindof, he eats pretty much anything meaty I put in there I.E. mussels, Prawns, scrimps, fish, Massiveore Pellets & of course any live food that will fit in his mouth.
they would like a sandy substrate as they seem to move it around quite alot until it looks like a mountain range, and plenty of caves and hiding places and plants, these are not the most social of fish and will fight each other so the weaker ones need somewhere to get out of the way.
Just so you know mine is over 10" and still growing so 25cm is an average size in my book look at them getting slightly larger.

In the winter as they are sub-trops (as you have already stated) I would if possible let the temp drop quite low in temp, I have my one at 18c at the moment, the lower the temp the more active and colourful he is becoming. I will let it drop to around 15-16c. I don't bother heating the water, I heat the room instead, but I am lucky I have a fish shed so am able to heat the room accordingly.

These are an absolutely striking looking fish with plenty of personality I know you will enjoy them :)

Cheers, Karl
 
thanks for the help karl :good:
ok so i might take a trip to argos for there play sand :good:
turn heater directly off :hyper: saving on electic :lol: yes i have plenty of rocks/slate/bogwood,plastic plants, will make it like a fortess in there with plenty of hiding spaces,
do you happen to have any pictures of these guys, mine are going to be around 4-5inches when i get them, its a swap for my male jag brutis<hes in a 3ft tank<just cant find a tank big enough for cheap enough for him,,,so i can now find a tank for these guys without rushing<always find a bargain in the end,,
so i could get something like a 48/15/12 ? obviously if i can find a 15/15 then all the better or 60/15/12
 
do you happen to have any pictures of these guys, mine are going to be around 4-5inches when i get them, its a swap for my male jag brutis<hes in a 3ft tank<just cant find a tank big enough for cheap enough for him,,,so i can now find a tank for these guys without rushing<always find a bargain in the end,,
so i could get something like a 48/15/12 ? obviously if i can find a 15/15 then all the better or 60/15/12

I do have photo's I will post them tonight when i get home.

I have my one in a 39"x18"x20" to be honest that is plenty of room for him, I know people that have 4 and they have them in a 48"x20x20 with no problems whatsoever or so I'm told. obviously the more room the better for a group.

Cheers, Karl
 
To be honest, I always keep my Channa's in a species only tank, I have heard and seen other people keeping Channa's with other species successfully but also seen a lot of damaged fish that are in a mixed species tank. I guess it is up to you and the personality of the fish in question.

Let me know how you get on, always interested in learning other peoples experiences in Channa keeping.

Cheers, Karl


yes iam going to see how things go, if not then i will rehome either one or two leaving me with one, do they get on with other fish ie cichlids like salvni etc :unsure:
 
To be honest, I always keep my Channa's in a species only tank, I have heard and seen other people keeping Channa's with other species successfully but also seen a lot of damaged fish that are in a mixed species tank. I guess it is up to you and the personality of the fish in question.

Let me know how you get on, always interested in learning other peoples experiences in Channa keeping.

Cheers, Karl


yes iam going to see how things go, if not then i will rehome either one or two leaving me with one, do they get on with other fish ie cichlids like salvni etc :unsure:

صwell if theres the slightest dought then i will just do a species tank with them, thanks for the hel;p mate, gonna be sometime this week but not sure exsact day off swap, should be good mind.....thanks ever so much for your help, will keep you posted :good:
 
good luck with them i've been thinking of a snakehead species tank for a while now but im running out of room in my room
 
I would agree with everything Karl has said. I have mine separate at the moment but will be putting them together soon. I would say 15c is the absolute minimum.

I have had lots of expearence with 'trying' to keep snakeheads with other fish and other snakeheads and 9.5 out of ten times it doesn't work out. They don't always kill each other but often split fins, Other damage and the lower down the pecking order tend to hide constantly.

Ornatipinnis are very attractive snakeheads and are reported to be very aggresive, There are as already stated mixed views on whether they are or not. They are certainly not community fish though. Certianly more personality than a lot of Snakeheads I have had.
 
well thanks so much for the help guys, iam getting them tommorow between 10-11am,,,forgot to get the argos play sand so will have to do that later in the afternoon,or will they do ok with gravel,,also what do i need to feed them to keep the tip top ?
 
Jelly - any pics of your Aurantis? they are the fish I most want just need to get another tank for them
 
heers Jelly I shall look forward to them!!
:good:
 

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