Ice Fire Snakeheads

[gasmask]

Got myself a handfull (2) "Ice fire" or "Fire&Ice" snakeheads today.
Little bit peeved though.
I went in to the store last week and there was a tank of about 10.
I noticed a few had red aroung the eyes and cheeks (looks like crying blood) and a few didnt. (only had a little red under the eye)
Anyhoo, went to pick them up today and bugger me all the red cheeked ones were gone!

Guy says they are females, and gave me the last 2 for less than the price of 1.

Now I am home they are feisty little biotches and am now thinking as they wont breed they may well kill each other.
So anyone that may read this that is in Japan if you want one for free (apart from shipping) let me know.

Anyway some pics: (just gone into tank so not colored up yet)

Will post more pics when they have settled in.

 

[youngfisher]

Stunning!

 

[simonas]

stunning indeed, are these a hybrid or a variant of another type of channa?

 

[RadaR]

Looks like Channa harcourtbutleri or just a Channa bleheri.

 

[england]

you lucky swine, fire and ice
free send it to me please please please

a nice new recent find,

 

[england]

http/www.imageposter.com/uploads/get/654985

 

[mixmaster jay]

nice mate they are stunning

 

[simonas]

they do look nice with the red on the cheeks as per Nelly;s pic!!!

 

[bagu]

is it legal for them to look that good?

 

[STD]

Lovely fish

 

[LetsBeFriends]

those are awesome

 

[gasmask]

Looks like Channa harcourtbutleri or just a Channa bleheri.

Nah!

But I am keeping them in with my bleheris at the moment, and did spot something really odd today . . .

One of smaller female bleheris and one of the similar sized Ice Fires were in the top left corner of the tank playing the exact same game as when my other bleheris were breeding . . .

Holy cow could you imaging that! A Rainbow Ice Fire!!

The pictures I posted were real quick and taken minutes after being introduced so not that clear, but looking through the tank, they look nothing at all like the two you mentioned.
I would say they have a longer slender head, they have the black spots common with Pulchras/ornates/stewartiis.

In fact the closest resemblence I could give would be a stewartii.

 

[england]

Love the frilly fin colour across the top and the red eye make-up which will probally return once they have settled down

 

[gasmask]

Love the frilly fin colour across the top and the red eye make-up which will probally return once they have settled down

Yeah it looks nice.
They are chilling out a little today, not hiding so much and there body is slowly changing from the brownish color to a very pale sky blue-ish.
also the red around the eye is starting to appear, and zoomed in, it looks like the cheeks may be getting redder too.

Really wierd, they are super nasty towards each other so I have seperated them. One is in with my Bleheris, and one with my Pulchras.
They both seem to have been accepted with absolutly zero aggression from any of the others.

The one in the pulchra tank seems to follow a pulchra around and today they were both sat on a leaf next to each other. Looked real cute.

The one in the Bleheri tank is flirting like made with the Bleheris!


And Nelly, If there was a way to get them to you from Japan, I would loved to send you one.

Here is a few newer pics: (not the greatest as they are bloody hard to catch them still!)

 

[bagu]

cute pics