Rainbow Snakehead Questions

[the_evil_duboisi]

Hey, I'm thinking of reducing my total fishkeeping scale to two tanks, one with a pair of peacock gudgeons and one with something else.

After some thinking, I think rainbow snakeheads would be a nice project. Better suited to smaller tanks than ctenopoma and polypterids, and cooler than others. Also, a nice place is having them on sale, at a price I can acually afford!

The thing is, although I know they can be kept in smaller tanks, I don't know what the minimum size is for one. 15~20 gallons?

Also, about food: I heard that snakeheads are VERYYY picky when it comes to food. Is it true? Or are the rainbows different? And what foods are best for them? Can they prosper on a diet of dried foods?

I'm a bit nervious about this new project; I always am when trying out a new species....

 

[CFC]

I've never heard of a picky snakehead, they usually eat any meaty offerings you give them. Prawns and small pieces of fish are favourites of my snakeheads (gachua and obscura).

Channa bleheri is one of the smallest snakeheads and rarely exceed 4 or 5 inches in captivity so a single specimin can easily be housed in a 24x12x12" tank. Keep them in a heavily planted tank (live or plastic) with pleanty of pieces of wood on the bottom to bring out the best of their colours.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Errr.....Do foods have to be that? Frozen prawns, bloodworms(What the place is feeding them now) and frozen loaches(That's something I can get really easily here...)?

Could I not wean them onto sinking carnivore pellets and krill? That would make feeding much easier.....
Oh well, if not, I'll do that. It's not like they're alive or anything

How about water current and chemistry? Can they do well with a slightly strong current? ANd about water chemistry; is soft water best? And substrate go for natural colors of black instead of white coral sand?

 

[severum boy]

My gachua eats sinking pellets, but i supplement this with prawns and bloodworm. If you want one, you will have to be prepared to feed it frozen foods as not all will eat pellets.
Water chemistary isent so much of an issue, about 7.5pH with a moderate hardness will be fine, but ammonia and nitrite levels are much more important. They dont mind a current, but they can claim a teratory and if this is a cave they wont be affected by the curent. Substrate isent much of an issue, but a medium light gravel would probably be best for the dark snakehead. Personally though I prefer dark sand.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Okay, thanks. I'm planning on getting a tank exclusively for one snakehead, and it will be a set tank, which mean it has it's built in filtration, light and hood system. Which means clean water and no way to escape Also a bit higher then the average tank, but I can leave enough space to breathe without taking out too much of the water volume.

Filtration will have to be unger gravel, and if that's not enough, I can add a hang-on filter.

I think I'll feed with bloodworms, frozen loaches, and frozen shrimp or/and krill. I'll try to get mine on sinking carnivore pellets sprayed with Entice

I'll do with normal brown aquarium gravel, as it supplies the needs of the UG filtration, and it won't either bleach out the SH or darken it too much.

And what kind of decor would be good? I'm thinking of wood and plants. Wood I have a lot of, with some anubias attached. But what plants are good in a RSH tank? I'm open to suggestions I'm thinking of slightly bushy, low-light needing plants( EXCEPT Java fern as I can't possibly keep any alive) that are comfortable for the SH to hide in....

 

[CFC]

They arent really fussed with which plants you use but being an Asian species Cryptocoryns are always a nice touch, most have low light requirements and will flourish in most substrates with minimal fertilising.

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

How about anacharis or hornwort? I'm still a bit tippy about crypt's.

Or maybe them in thier plastic forms? Wouldn't some taller(reaching to the surface) plants that are bushy and thick be the ones the SH would prefer?

Maybe I'll get them on both types, if the real ones fail I'll use the fake ones....

Thanks again!!

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Okay, I'm not sure if I can pull this off, but I'll ask in advance.

Since I'm selling all the other stuff, including by 4 foot tank, 2 foot breeder tank and Tropheus duboisi, I think I can get a fair amount of money.

So I was curious if I could just not buy the 20 gallon and go with a 30 long(One I have at my grandpa's house, so not much of a problem)

1) Could I put about 3~4 RSH in the tank, heavily planted with anubias and perhaps some other hardy plants?

2) Also about filtration; What kind of filter would be best? I think that canisters are the best, but as the ones I have are powerful brands(Strong water flow), I think I'll have to buy a smaller brand of filter. What kind of canister is appropriate for a 30 gallon long with RSHs? One that doesn't buffet the channas with water flow?

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Errr....The reason I'm getting considering several is for the chances of making a pair and(Hopefully) seeing babies.. If that doesn't work, I'll just keep one in it's own little tank.

But still, it is hard to resist. Who wouldn't grab the chance for a 30 gallon RSH tank?

So, could it work??

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Oh yes, and another question regarding food. Could spraying some appetite simulators(Like Entice) on some dried food(Hikari Sinking Carnivore to be exact) make a RSH accept it more easily??

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Did I just answer all my questions??

So could it be possible to have a pair of them in a 30 gallon long? ANd all the food-and-decor requirements all met? My questions haven't ended yet!

I think I'll keep on asking questions until I accually get them....Instinct?

 

[the_evil_duboisi]

Errr......Is that all?

 

[demonmagus]

lol looks like you did, just thought I'd say, when they are paired breeding doesn't seem to be hard, CFC had some gachua (still has?) and had to give the babies away -

 

[Jelly]

You will have no issue feeding rainbow or any Snakeheads for that matter. For me they have been far from fussy. All mine will eat Pellets and all manor of frozen foods. Rainbows are relatively peaceful by Snakehead standards and you should have no problem keeping a couple of them in a 24" tank as long as there is a means to break the line of sight should they decide to go at it.

Unfortunatly Rainbow Snakeheads 'Channa Bleheri' arn't quite so easy to breed as they require a cooling period of a couple of months as low as 17c to simulate their cooler season then rased to normal tropical temps before they will breed. There is a great artical on www.snakeheads.org that should help.

They are great fish and one of my favourites.