We regularly have perhaps the most beautiful snakehead fish in stock: Channa pleurophthalma. This species, which is found on the Greater Sunda Islands of Sumatra and Borneo and inhabits lakes and rivers there, grows to around 40 cm in length. In contrast to most other snakeheads, they like to swim a lot in open water. Channa pleurophthalma are often surprisingly peaceful towards each other and also towards other fish, but it should never be forgotten that they are large predatory fish with an individual character.
Juveniles are yellowish-green with an individually varying number of eyespots on the side of the body. The number can be between zero and three. This says nothing about sexual affiliation. The juvenile fish coloration changes with increasing age to an iridescent, metallic blue or blue-green; here, too, the color says nothing about the sex. Due to the expected final size, the animals should be kept in spacious aquaria. Channa species are excellent jumpers; complete coverage of the aquarium is essential. As labyrinth fish, snakeheads can breathe atmospheric air in addition to gill breathing. This allows them to survive in oxygen-poor waters. However, the aquarist should not neglect water care when keeping snakeheads, as the animals are heavy feeders with a corresponding metabolism and therefore put a heavy strain on the water. Good filtration and regular water changes are therefore also important for these fish, which are often portrayed as undemanding. An ideally designed Channa aquarium should be well structured with roots, bamboo canes, stones and large plants and offer the animals hiding places. In the wild, this Channa species lives in true black water. Although nesting and mating have already taken place, we have not yet heard of any reports of successful hatching the spawn under aquarium conditions.
For our customers: the fish have, depending on size, code 409221 (5-7 cm) to 409226 (40 cm) on our stock list.
Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
(Photos: F. Schäfer, Text: K. Diehl, F. Schäfer)
