Green Snakeheads

[CAC]

Hi i was just wondering about how many green snakeheads i could keep in my 38 gallon tank?
I saw some today at the LFS, along with tiny clown knifes, that were like 2".
It says in the fish profiles section, that the tank should be about 40G for a group, and mine is a little under that, so how many do you think i could have?
Or if just the one, then what other tankmates?

Thanks alot, Mikey

 

[CFC]

You could go for a group of juviniles and grow them out till you get a pair, at which point everything else has to be removed before its killed.

 

[CAC]

A group of about how many?
How many could i keep without them needing rehoming?

Many thanks, Mikey

 

[CFC]

Without future re homing or deaths you can only safely stock 1 snakehead, a group would need to be 6 individuals to spread aggression and ensure getting a compatible male/female pair. Unless you have a very large tank (approximately 40 gallons per pair, though still wouldn't guarantee success) you can only keep one established pair per tank, once a pair is formed the first thing they do is exterminate every living thing in their territory.

 

[CAC]

Ok, im not really too keen on haveing to rehome so many...
If i got just the one, then what could i have as tankmates, and how many?
Could i have any other preds?

Thanks alot

 

[CFC]

They generally work well with any fish that doesnt look like another snakehead and is too big to be eaten, bichirs, eels, catfish and larger Characins are all possibilities. In my experience they dont fare well with Cichlids or gobies so avoid those and obviously dont keep them with anything that can eat the snakehead.

 

[CAC]

So could i have another pred in there?
Im presumeing i couldnt have a G. Snakehead and a senegal bichir or something like that...
Could i maybe have an eel, maybe peacock?
What part of the tanks do snakeheads use? Are they bottom dwellers?

Mikey

 

[CFC]

Snakeheads use all levels of the tank, they have evolved as one of the top predators in their enviroment and will take food from wherever they find it.

You could have a senegal bichir or a peacock eel with the snakehead, i have had both combinations without problems.

 

[CAC]

In my size tank? Wouldnt there be lots of aggression?
That would be without any tankmates presumeably...

Id love to have that tank set-up...Im very interested in preds etc.

 

[CFC]

Channa gachua and other dwarf snakeheads are not as aggressive as their larger cousins and generally leave other fish that do not have the same body shape or colouration alone unless its small enough to be seen as food, bichirs and peacock eels are both non aggressive as well so unless you are very unlucky and get a phycho fish there shouldnt be any problems with aggression in a 40g tank.

 

[CAC]

Ace, i think id go for the peacock and the green snake head in that case. They just eat normal predatory food like cockle, fish, earthworms etc?

Thanks alot CFC.

 

[CFC]

Snakeheads will eat pretty much anything apart from veggies, small ones take flake and frozen bloodworm etc and for adults frozen meaty foods like cockles, mussels, prawns etc are good staple foods, and if you want a bit of entertainment then live river shrimp and small crickets really bring out the predatory power in them.

 

[CAC]

Cool, i would love to see some of their predatory habits, but crickets cost alot for a bow, and he/she wouldnt eat a box, so i wouldnt know what to do with them...And river shrimps cost £2.50 where i live!!!!
How much are they down there, cos whenever i see a pic of your tank CFC, i can allways see some shrimps lol.

Mikey

 

[andywg]

CFC gets ripped off at around 50p per 10. Get down into Essex and you pay about 60p for 20-30 minimum.

 

[CAC]

Even 10 for 50p is like nothing, but 20-30 would last weeks!!!!
How would i decorate, because dont the peacocks uproot plants, but snakeheads like them?
Id also like to set-up a small dwarf puffer tank...Would 3.5G be suitable for one?

Thanks, Mikey