Fish Data : Giant Snakehead ( Channa micropeltes )

Species name: Channa micropeltes

Synonym: Ophiocephalus serpentinus; Ophicephalus bivittatus; Ophiocephalus stevensii; Ophiocephalus diplogramma

Common name: Giant Snakehead

Family: Channidae

Order: Perciformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Maximum size: 150 cm / 60 inches

Environment: freshwater

Water parameters: Temperature 22-28˚C / 72-82˚ F; pH 6-7.5

Origin: Channa micropeltes (Giant Snakehead) is found near the coast of India, Thailand, Mekong basin of Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Southeastern Sumatra

Temperament: Aggressive and predatory should not kept with small fish.

    The giant snakehead, normally called red or redline snakeheads are a popular fish to be sold in the pet trade. They are commonly sold as juveniles as pets. Some are even sold as feeders to be fed to larger carnivorous fish. Generally peaceful while young, they grow into foracious predators that will chase and eat anything that fits in their mouth.

     These fish can found in south east asia ( Thailand , Vietnam , Laos , India, and possibly Burma.. ) They need  a big aquarium of 450 gallons (preferably larger) when they grow up , as they will grow to be up to 42 inches long. The keeper can use a sandy to smooth gravel substrate with several large pieces of driftwood as well as rock caves for their shelter. They will thrive with plenty of dense, live vegetation and floating plants as they are ambush predators and also appreciate low to medium light and the ability to find shade. They can survive in a wide range of water conditions, but strong and efficient filtration is required to ensure clean water due to the extreme bio-load this species will bring down on their environment; high-end (possibly custom), external biological and mechanical filtration (e.g., a sump-style wet/dry filter) will be needed and quality chemical filtration is also recommended. Red Snakeheads will need a strong, tight-fitting lid on their aquarium as they will sometimes jump or get carried away while hunting live fish. Species specific aquariums are recommended as they are highly predatory and aggressive; although they can coexist with a few of the largest cichlids (Gars are usually a safe bet), large catfish, and various large Plecos. Their tank mates should be chosen carefully and should comparable in size as adults.

    These fish are ferocious, predatory carnivores and mainly eat massive amounts of live fish, but also eat frogs, insects and crayfish in the wild. In the aquarium they should be fed a constant supply of live fish, but they will also accept live earth worms, frogs, crickets, and crayfish. For balanced nutrition, the best idea would be to have a separate tank of minnows and other baitfish and feed them high quality, vitamin-enriched flake foods to get them "gut-loaded" before they are fed to the Snakeheads. Feed twice daily.



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Credit :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_snakehead

http://www.aquariumdomain.com/viewSpeciesNWCichlid.php?id=84

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/channa/micropeltes.php