Channa Gachua

[Miss Wiggle]

sorry if this is in the wrong place

been browsing google for info on these as I quite fancy some, just looking on google image search I'm getting a lot of different colours and patternings up, is channa gachua not a specific species then, or are they colour morphs? I like the ones CFC has with really vibrant green/blue bits on the fins. Never seen any in lfs's around here so I'd have to ask them to order them in for me fi I did decide to get some, what would I need to ask them to get to make sure I got those ones and not any others?

Just from looking at the wolf's 62 gallon I see that they can be kept in a community of sorts.

If I re-homed oscar I could put them in a 92gal corner tank with a common plec and a syno nigriata(sp) and then build some sort of community around them. What sorts of fish are they compatible with? From my initial research they seem to breed quite easily, when they do, do they terrorise the other fish in the tank when defending fry? With the shape of the tank is can be difficult when a fish becomes territorial so would it therefore be best to keep a single specimin with other fish rather than a pair so I don't risk them breeding?

Any other info, good links etc appreciated as ever

 

[Miss Wiggle]

oooh just thought they've had some lovely gar's in our lfs for months just crying out for a new home, can't remember the species off the top of my head (just gawped at them before as i knew i couldn't keep them) but they must be getting on for a foot long so probably a reasonable sized tankmate for snakeheads, would that work?

 

[§tudz]

You can get Channa Gachua at BAS in bolton, not too far from you.

You wont want to breed them in a community as when they pair up they become very agressive and will kill everything in the tank.
Anything too big to fit in its mouth will be fine, but keep in mind they have some sharp teeth and like the taste of fingers.

The ones in BAS look almost white, but when you get them home and settled in they are a great colour, I bought mine from there last week.

I keep mine in a 120gal with clownloaches, polypterus', plecs, and a syno

if keeping a group you want a species tank, and if paring happens be prepared to put them in a tank on their own, or rehome the other fish.

and yes Gars would work as they are top level fish and C. gachua is a bottom to mid level fish, but it does need access to the surface for air

 

[Miss Wiggle]

so it's not different colour morphs then really, just showing different colourations because of the health/happiness of the fish?

roughly how much are they, do you remember?

so it's OK to keep them as a single specimin as part of an appropriately chosen community then? they don't need to be in a pair/group?

so hmmm a possible community for them in my 92gal

1 x chocolate albino common plec
1 x syno
1 x channa guacha
2/3 x gars (obviously i'll research when i've found out what species they are)

i reckon i'd then have room for maybe 2/3 medium sized (6-8" aprox) mid water swimmers, is that right? wolfs got them in with some new world cichlids, do they need to be the more/less aggressive ones? any other suggestions for tankmates.

i know pretty much diddly squat about oddballs, this is all knew to me so I'm just sort of thinking outloud really, tell me if I'm beign an idiot

 

[Miss Wiggle]

while i'm on the subject of gars, just been looking through google image search to find the species they have in my lfs. struggling as there's just so many, can anyone give me a list of one's i'm likely to come across so I can narrow down my search fields a bit

 

[Miss Wiggle]

answered my own question, think they are Xenentodon cancila - needlenose gar.

would these be suitable as tankmates?

 

[§tudz]

C. gachua is fine to be kept alone, with agressive or none agressive fish as long as they are too big to be eaten.
Keeping more than one could end in high agression or the dominant gachua killing off the other gachuas.

As for tank mates anything too big to be eaten.

your tank is big enough for a gachua that gets to around 8", I dont know anything about gars sio someone else will have to help you, someone like Paul_MTS

 

[Miss Wiggle]

thanks studz, appreciate all the help.

when you say too big to be eaten, one website said anything over half it's body size, so that'd be 4"+... does that sound right to you?

I'm doubtful about the gars, need to do some more reading. They're pretty cool but I'm not sure if I'm ready for them just yet!! I'll wait and see what answers I get and maybe pm Paul if no one can help or I can't make up my own mind!

 

[§tudz]

thanks studz, appreciate all the help.

when you say too big to be eaten, one website said anything over half it's body size, so that'd be 4"+... does that sound right to you?

I'm doubtful about the gars, need to do some more reading. They're pretty cool but I'm not sure if I'm ready for them just yet!! I'll wait and see what answers I get and maybe pm Paul if no one can help or I can't make up my own mind!

I tend to use a 3" rule but a 4" rule will be even better, but thats when they are fully grown, BAS has them from around 2"-6" in stock (or did)
They are on the top level of their tanks so you might wanna ask for a ladder to see them, I did

I know gars are easily spooked and can break their beaks on the side of a tank that doesnt give them enough room to move round in.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

he he, i'd take Ian with me and sit on his shoulders, at 6'4" he's nearly a foot taller than me

yeah that's one of my concerns with the gars, tbh I'm a bit bored of having a lovely big tank and only 1 really visable fish (oscar doesn't play nice with friends!) so while I'm not gonna cram as many fish as possible in I'd want a fair bit of movement and from what I'm thinking the gars would maybe be happier with just a couple of fairly sedate companions underneath them so they don't get spooked.

the other is i don't want my hands bitten off everytime i go in the tank and there's mixed reports about them being weaned off live food. while i don't mind it as a treat i don't really fancy it every day, i've not enough room to turn a tank over to livebearers to provide them with a constant supply.

 

[§tudz]

mine eats frozen blood worms, prawns, catfish pellets everything, and without even having to try, so I dont know what people are moaning about, they must be doing something wrong lol

 

[Miss Wiggle]

mine eats frozen blood worms, prawns, catfish pellets everything, and without even having to try, so I dont know what people are moaning about, they must be doing something wrong lol

do you mean your snakehead? i was talking about mixed reports of the gars being weaned off live food

 

[kniesh]

Here u go. I was looking at Gars for my 90gal. This is from our very own CFC its not pretty reading for us people with tiny 90gals though. Hope it helps.

http/www.fishforums.net/A-guide-to-oddballs-t71480.html

 

[§tudz]

mine eats frozen blood worms, prawns, catfish pellets everything, and without even having to try, so I dont know what people are moaning about, they must be doing something wrong lol

do you mean your snakehead? i was talking about mixed reports of the gars being weaned off live food

oops yeah, I'm in work and just quickly reading the post and replying before I get seen
There are a lot of different ways to make top level fish take dead food, from using feeding rods to make the fish look alive, and starving the fish and just drop a single dead fish in from the top and they will snatch it, and thus assocciate fish falling in as food, bad news for additions to the tank later though

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hadn't found that thread, thanks

don't think i fancy the gars now, well i like them but i don't think they're right for me and this tank right now. want an easier induction to oddball/predatory fishies!!

so would the snakeheads be ok on a variety of frozen meaty foods for they're main diet?


tiny 90 gals... well i know it's not enormous but it's the biggest i've got room for anyway!

oops yeah, I'm in work and just quickly reading the post and replying before I get seen

sneaky sneaky sneaky

not bothering hiding it today, our management are being absolute ... well i won't say... today so they can get stuffed if they think i'm doing anything!