Channa Bankanensis real size?

[aleelmanya]

Bangka snakehead, What is the real maximum size? the web say 14cm (5 in) and others sites say 22cm (8 in).

Can they breed in captivity? how many litres they need?

 

[Madou]

It's in the sticky:

updated 7th nov 2008
to add further information and keep up to date​

Species name: Channa bankanensis

Common name: Bangka Snakehead

Maximum size: 14 cm / 6 inches there is also a larger variety the reaches 30cm! the fish are quite slow growers and some of my other snakeheads have grown at a rate nearly twice as fast!!

Origin: Sumatra, Bangka Island ,rivers of central, southern, and western Kalimantan ,peat swamps of Selangor, peninsular Malaysia

introdutions: none known so far

Temperament: this fish looks pretty freindly with its rounded head ,but in reality is just as aggresive as any other of the family channie , its mouth is still full of teeth and they are not afraid to use them !!

Company: Channa bankanensis should be kept in a species tank only , it has quite specalist requirments which mean if kept correctly other fish would not survive very long (see tank set-up for details.) also would attempt to eat fish that look big enough to eat this can result in the fish choking to death.,

Water parameters: Temperature 26-30 c strictly tropical species that thrives in soft water ,eggs are known to become fungsed is water to hard ; where it is caught the pH gets as low as ph 2.8 to 3.8

tank-setup: it only does really well in very soft water , this can be acheived in the aquarium through the addition of almond leaves or other hardwood leaves oak ect. personally i use 1/2 r.o. water and half rainwater with the addition of leaves others use peat either in a filter bad or as part of the substrate either way or a combination of the two can be used , the fish req little to no movment at the surface ,the relative low ph and desolved oxogen would be totally unsuitable for the vast majority of fish to live in. the fish prefer a sand substrate with leaves plently of leaves added , because of the very low ph choose plants to suit , most discus plant collections will have suitable plants in. they still need surface cover and there should be plenty of places for the fish to retreate if they are to feel secure.

Feeding: i have never found any problems with theese fish taking any of the normal fare , they are quite aggresive feeders and seem to come to life as soon as any food hits the surface , shrimp prawns bits of fish insects like locusts crickets mealworms ect. are all taken just as eagerly , also check out your local fishing bait store where often the things are priced cheeper.

breeding: as allways find a group of young and let them find there own pair , they fish realease eggs that float to the surface and are guarded by parents , feed with newly hatched brine shrimp , low ph and no surface movment along with vegitation are all needed for a sucsessful spawn.

other notes: this is one of the rarer snakeheads found in the trade. but suprisingly when it appears is realetivly cheeps to buy. it is very rarly found on import lists and most shops will never of seen one , you will need to go to the more specalist store to find ,which is a shame as it is one of the most suitable snakeheads for most aquarists due to its small size

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