Gaint Snakehead Aquarium

[A_DEE]

hello everyone ..
i need to build an aquarium to last my snakehead for a year ...its 4 inches now..in a 20 G long
i need to build larger aquarium i was thinking 63 in (length) x 16 in (width) x 18 in (height)
is it good ..or two norrow?? sadly ..this is the dimentions of my aquarium stand 63x16
whats the rule of thumb when it comes to aquarium width ??

 

[Wills]

its a four foot long fish as adult (if raised properly) so I would consider 50-55 inch width minimum and ideally a fair few feet long - at least 8 feet if not much more.

Not able to cope with such a tank? Perhaps look at a smaller species and rehome this future monster responsibly.

Wills

 

[A_DEE]

thanks for replying ..this tank untill its around 24 or 25 inches
for a year or so ..then uma build a bigger one

 

[faildeadly]

What are your plans when it's reached 24 - 25 inches??

 

[A_DEE]

500 gallon with a 100 gallon sump ..but after one year ..people please tell me if the width is qonna be okay ?
if the lenth of the fish is greater than the width ..is it alright ??

 

[faildeadly]

if the lenth of the fish is greater than the width ..is it alright ??

Well, would you put a 1 inch cory in a 0.5 inch width tank?

The point I'm trying to make is, just because the size of the fish changes, it doesn't mean your attitudes towards husbandry should.

 

[A_DEE]

i can make it 150x50x40
but the stand is 160x40 is it safe to have 5 cm gap in the front and back ?

 

[dbanner]

The stand will need to be as big or bigger than the tank itself. If the tank is even slightly larger than the tank then you are most likely going to end up with a broken tank caused by the pressure on the tank seals by the weight of the water. Having said that this tank is still going to be nowhere big enough as wills stated. Giant snakeheads grow around the same rate per month as silver arowanas which is at least 1inch per month.

So with that in mind, you say the snakehead is 4 inches now meaning he will full the 16inch width of that tank within a year... But... Before it gets to that stage its growth will be stunted, meaning he will stop growing on the outside but his organs will continue to grow leading to deformitty and an early and painfully death.

Fish need the room to grow and I'd only even consider putting him in your planned tank for a couple of months max and that would even be a push. You need that 500 gallon tank... As early as yesterday IMO. You have a potentially huge and phenomenally aggressive fish on your hands there

 

[A_DEE]

but fish grow to a certian age rather fast then the growth rate is decreased or slowed down once the fish is mature..do u know what i mean ?? i think a snakehead slows down around 5o cm ...
i got no room for a 500 gallon aquarium now ..but um moving to a new home within a year
and this snakehead is one of the cuties i ve owned ..i jus want to house him temp. for this year .
another thing he is alone in the aquarium ..i dont keep any fish with em ..on the other hand i dont want em deformed or anything cuz of the width ..

 

[A_DEE]

and a gaint snakehead outgrows an arowana ..growth rate is similar to rtc

 

[Wills]

The width is the important thing really as it affects turning space - a rule of thumb that some people use is think of a minimum as width being 2x length of fish and length of tank is 6x length of fish. Turning space is important as if its less than the length of the fish they often have to do like a back flip to turn or bend them selves to the point where over a long period (ie their lives) can cause spine problems.

Perhaps a better option for this guy would be some kind of pond? Like a plywood tank. So you have the tank essentially on the floor in like a big box and just have the front as a pane of glass, there are a lot of guides to this kind of tank on the net.

The bigger the better is the best rule to work by and having them as a wet pet is the best idea as I dont know much that can survive with them they are a massive predator.

I can tell you are passionate about this fish so really hope you find a solution

Wills

 

[dbanner]

Your in safe hands with wills advice

All I will say is your doing the right thing by keeping him in a tank alone. They will attack other fish not to eat as such, they tend to attack and kill just for fun.

 

[A_DEE]

uma keep him in this tank for now ..till i can get the 500 gallon ..or construct a plywood tank for a pond ...he wont have a problem for a year or so ...and if he was unhappy before i can get the other tank ..uma donate him..but hopefully uma get him 8 to 10 feet with enough room to hunt ..and live happy..they are amazing to watch..but they have a nasty temper ..
thanks everyone for the advice ..it really helped

 

[dbanner]

Hope all works out well for you and your snakehead like I said he may not outgrow the tank within a year but his growth may get stunted before that which will have stopped his growth before you move him on. I hope this doesn't happen... Good luck

 

[A_DEE]

can i use a wooden layer between the aquarium and the stand ? like extend the tank width ?? is it qonna work ?? i mean be safe ??