One cheesed off Snakehead :(

[technium]

I have finally got my 8 foot tank running and had my red snakehead (approx 10") in with my arrowana, lungfish and pictus in my 6 foot tank and all has been fine, but now ive moved them to the 8 foot tank the snakehead has gone mega evil...seriously

Ive had to move the fish as it was attacking all of them and if I go anywhere near the tank it shoots over to where I am and as soon as I put my hand near the perspex covers he jumps out and hits them as though hes going for my hand.

If I want to do anything in the tank I have to get a mate to distract it the other end of the tank while im quick as lightning doing what ever needs to be done as though my life or at least my fingers are depending on it lol

Anyway, is this normal, why has it suddenly changed and is there anything I can do apart from get chain mail gloves lol

 

[Barday]

Scary!

Sorry I don't know anything about snakeheads, so I can't help with your problem, but just out of interest, could they actually do you any damage if they bit you?

 

[CFC]

Sounds like classic red snakehead behaviour, when adult these beasts cannot and should not be kept with anything as they will regard any living creature in the tank as food, there is a aquatics rescue centre near me that has a 3 foot red in with some pacu and every one of the pacu has scars and torn fins where the snakehead has taken chunks out of them, i have also seen a series of photographs on water wolves (formerly predatory fish.net) where a RSH systamaticly dismantled a large redtailed catfish piece by piece until all was left was its head.

Many RSH keepers do indeed wear armoured gloves when doing maintainance on their tanks, in the wild several people are killed every year by big red snakeheads defending their territories.

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

sounds like the move triggered him to find a new territory and he just happened to take teh whole tank as his

 

[Black_Ghost_Guy]

I agree completly with CFC. Nothing should be kept with them, IME. I would either sell it or, indeed, buy or make a pair of armoured gloves.

 

[technium]

Thank you all for your comments. I figure the tank move set him off and now his just stressed. Hes no where near adult hood as still has line markings and has a tinge of the red stripe on him still.

I guess he will be getting the tank to himself then, ahwell time to convince the wife I need another big tank

thanks again

T

 

[Clare]

Quote from Richard Hardwick od Wharf Aquatics, and PFK ' If anybody wants the tropical freshwater equivalent of a great white shark, then the red snakehead is it'!!

Red Snakeheads usually grow to a size (usually about 9 months old), where they will slaughter anything and everything in their tank, including their own kind, as CFC has already said.

This species is banned in some countries because people keeping them in aquariums found them too dangerous to handle cope with and hace released them into ponds or watercourses. These creatures have the ability to breathe in air, and will move from one area to another, killing everything on the way.
Moving on when no food is left.

This fish could do serious harm to you so please be careful and put much stronger lids on the tank.

Type in the latin name and do a search yourself for pictures of this beast at full groen and you will understand.
Sorry, don`t mean to sound downbeat but you have one serious fish there. Good luck! ( didn`t mean that sarcastically, you will need it though).

Oh, what thickness glass do you have on the tank because a full grown one is capable of bursting through. 10/12ml will not be sufficient. Serious grovelling to do to your wife me thinks!!!
Clare

 

[technium]

Thanks Clare

I did actually research this fish alot before getting it and am very carefull with all my oddballs.

The glass is approx 12 - 15mm and the top of the tank is covered by 12mm perspex and then a wooded hood.

I only asked the question as its the first time EVER that its been this aggresive, its lived with leaf fish, pangasius catfish, shovelnoses, pleco, arrowanas and sucking loach up until approx 3 weeks ago and never touched any of them, not one nip and now all of a sudden hes turned into Johny from the Shinning lol so no disrespect and thanks for your comments but I do know about the fish its just strange it would change its personality practically over night.

thanks again

T

 

[Fishy411]

just ell your wife that if u cant get a bigger tank it will get mad and bust through the tank and slithr to your bedside to eat you whole! I dont envy you if or when u move that thing. U may want to get some military help

 

[Clare]

Hmm. we know someone who moved a Red Snakehead in the store, it was 2 1/2ft long and took 4 very brave, or stupid, men to move it!!

I wasn`t putting anyone down in my comments, I am sure you do all research fish before you buy them but not all info on the web is correct.

All the things I read about these snakeheads does say that they literally change over night from being basically okay, to killers. That quick.
Clare

 

[technium]

thanks Clare.

As I said, I wasnt being disrespectful.

thanks for your help and comments

Technium

 

[mwm]

WOW make him a enclosed pond! Make a fence around it so he wouldnt run away tho wat do these things eat? Rabbits?

 

[technium]

LOL MVM Yeah

This snakehead will eat anything I suppose but I restrict him to lancefish and cod etc he can eat at least 10 lancefish in one sitting every other day or half a whole cod every other day.

I dont have any phobias but damn I have a phobia about this fish lol

 

[glolite]

Wow that sounds like a lot of food, bet he's expensive to keep! I thought I was having aggression problems with my cichlids til I read your thread. Makes mine look like little angels (that's the winged type not the fish type )

 

[technium]

I get through a sealed blister pack of lancefish everyweek just for the snakehead which is around £3.50 but my lfs ordered me 25 packs at cost price and I just paid the delivery plus cost price so approx £30 and that should last a good few months....hopefully