How Readily Available Are Channa Ornatipinnis In The Uk?

[Deroplatys]

So my tanks finally being set up, and i think i've finally decided what i want to keep in there. I think these snakeheads are one of the most stunning species i can reasonably keep. I want to get a small young group untill a pair naturally forms and hope to one day breed them. I've had people say my tank is not big enough but whenever i google C.ornatipinnis the most common and largest thread is about someone breeding them in a tank only a couple inches longer than mine.

How can i go about getting some?

My tanks about 30 inches long, 12 inches deep, and 15 inches tall. Here's a success story from a tank 2 inches longer and 5 inches higher than mine. Im not thinking of keeping anything else apart from a single adult pair.

 

[gasmask]

Tank is too small for Channa Ornatipinnis. Especially a pair.
Success story or not, Nelly would agree also.
You want 3ft x 1.5 x 1.5 as a MINIMUM.

 

[dbanner]

I have nothing really to add to this apart from take "gasmasks" advice. He has experience with predatory fish including snakeheads. He has (or had??) a stunning pair of snakeheads. He definitely knows his stuff. As does "nelly". I think a 3ft long x 1.5 x 1.5 tank would be a minimum for any snakehead pair.

 

[Deroplatys]

Great, that rules them out then. Thanks for the help anyway, think i might just sell this whole tank before i even start it

 

[dbanner]

Just keep your tank as a hospital tank and buy a 3 x 1.5 x 1.5 for the snakeheads will be well worth it. Just make sure to have lots of hiding places and cover and use dim lighting and a sand substrate

 

[josh_g]

There are lots of channa to choose from suitable for a tank that size. Mainly gachua variants but you'd be amazed how many diff types there are. Check out thesnakeheadforum.com lots of respectable breeders on there. I used to have 8 channa tanks and got all my channa from 2 diff breeders from the site. Now only have 1 tank my sp.whitefin

 

[gasmask]

Yup, I mod over at Snakeheadforum (as tokyogasmask), and agree very resourceful.
Still IMO, even most of the Gachua complex will need more than a 2ft x 1ft tank. (especially more than one!)

In that size tank you could probably get away with one MAYBE two of the smallest Channa such as Orientalis.

 

[josh_g]

oh I miss read thought it was a 3ft tank

 

[Deroplatys]

A lot of the other ones just look boring to me. Keeping vertebrates really does my head in though, so much conflicting accounts online, so much simpler with invertebrates. I had read a bit and for a quite a while tha that this tank would be ok, so i was gearing up, saving, and even getting bits for christmas and birthdays to set it up for snakeheads.

I might try looking at Axolotl's, but i suspect they'll be too big aswell. And before anyone suggests anything no i dont wont any puffers