New Snakehead

[Madou]

And @Madou , I do get your point on differing tastes. It's just that this is my first time keeping this particular species, and as always when keeping any new fish, I try and look for information on the web from people who have already kept it themselves and know what they are talking about. My preference for firsthand information and advice one of the biggest reasons why I browse fishkeeping forums like mfk. And as I discovered, it's surprisingly hard to find such information about this particular species, compared to many other Channa. Very few people seem to keep them, and even fewer seem to like them enough to talk about them in detail. Hell, it's easier to find articles and posts on Channa barca, despite them being some of the rarest and least obtainable snakeheads around.

Here are all the infos I could find from our sticky, there's a lot of infos in there, so I can see why you would have missed it

updated to add info and keep upto date 7th nov 2008​

Species name: Channa punctata

Common name: green snakehead, dolla or daula snakehead ,spotted snakehead

Maximum size: approx 30 cm / 12 inches, varients may differ in size slightly but some are still new to the trade so final size is still unknown

Origin: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, southern Nepal , Bangladesh, Myanmar(suspected mis-identifacations of channa panaw), southwestern China



Introduced range: southern Mosambique, (poss - only one specamin found and could of been an ilegal release ,no other specamins have been found in southern africa since, so no evidance to prove it is established.

Temperament: can be aggresive to its own kind as well as other fish , but one of the less aggresive channa

Company: Channa punctata is as with all members of the group channide best housed as a bonded pair or single fish, take extreame caution if mixing with other fish , again this fish is prone to choke on fish it cannot swallow and is equally prone to bullying from more aggresive fish.

Water parameters: Temperature ,temperate to tropical upper lethal limit is 40 c lower lethal limit is 9 c
again try and find out where your fish comes from to be able to provide the best possable care pH know to be able to stand a very wide ph range from ph 4.3 - 9 somewhere in the middle of this would be a good place to aim for

Feeding: young feed primarily on zooplankton, with rotifers, insect, and crustacean larvae constituting most of the diet , Adults consume fishes, insects , stomach contents reviel aquatic vegitation is also consumed but this is most likely a bycatch of there normal prey. i have whitness the same in my aurantimaculata ,they are often seen with some leaves hanging out there mouths after wolfing down there food that has fell and rested on a plant, this is another important reason why aquatic vegitaion is so important in a channa set-up

tank set-up: since this species is found in a very wide range ,some detective work is needed from the keeper to provide the best conditions for your variant of this fish , however when this information is not available it is useally safe to set-up the tank on middle ground, head for neutral water and low tropical temps around 24deg , structure the tank well with plants and wood , floating cover via surface plants , as allways the more secure the fish feels the more you will see it

other information: standard varients of this species are useally fairly easy to locate ,and often appear on import lists and is one of the species you may find in some of the better local stores. specalist store should have little problem finding this fish for you. however the newer varients of this fish are still extreamly rare and do not appear often in the trade ,some of the specalist shops get them in from time to time , standard varients and useally fairly cheep in the uk , infact probably the cheepest snakehead in the trade , the latest found varients such as sp. greenfins still comand high amounts of money , a good size sp. greenfins will set you back around £100-£150 yet the same fish in standard form can be bought for as lillte as £9.99 i have seen juvinile fish for sale locally for £3.50

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[Mazhar26]

Again, it comes down to personal preferences.
I, for one, would prefer many channas whatever the range of size.
If indeed 30-40 cm, then i'll go pleuros, Auranti.
If more, I'd go diplo or lucius or maruloides.

Those are in my eyes much more beautiful, or active, or impressive, depending on the species chosen. I am sure some like punctata more than those, taste is something we will never all agree on.

I think madou is right their colors is not intense as others and I have one few years ago , they r also not so active as others , native man there are few variants of punctata , green fins body is also little greenish become very large 30 cm , while the ones with black fins white body won't grow more than 15-18cm

 

[Mazhar26]

Again, it comes down to personal preferences.
I, for one, would prefer many channas whatever the range of size.
If indeed 30-40 cm, then i'll go pleuros, Auranti.
If more, I'd go diplo or lucius or maruloides.

Those are in my eyes much more beautiful, or active, or impressive, depending on the species chosen. I am sure some like punctata more than those, taste is something we will never all agree on.

I think madou is right their colors is not intense as others and I have one few years ago , they r also not so active as others , native man there are few variants of punctata , green fins body is also little greenish become very large 30 cm , while the ones with black fins white body won't grow more than 15-18cm

 

[NativesMan]

Here are all the infos I could find from our sticky, there's a lot of infos in there, so I can see why you would have missed it

Thanks for pointing that out.

As a matter of fact though, I had already read the sticky and all the info that was on it. I didn't say that there was absolutely no detailed information about C.punctata to be found on the internet from people who had kept the species themselves, just that it was surprisingly scarce. Just compare the number of posts on something like C.gachua and the number of posts on C.punctata on this very forum, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[NativesMan]

I think madou is right their colors is not intense as others and I have one few years ago , they r also not so active as others , native man there are few variants of punctata , green fins body is also little greenish become very large 30 cm , while the ones with black fins white body won't grow more than 15-18cm

As far as activity goes, I guess I might just have gotten lucky then, because the one I have is every bit as active and interactive as any Channa I've ever kept. As for the colours though, I'll have to disagree with you! I've seen some gorgeous ones over the years.

 

[Madou]

Thanks for pointing that out.

As a matter of fact though, I had already read the sticky and all the info that was on it. I didn't say that there was absolutely no detailed information about C.punctata to be found on the internet from people who had kept the species themselves, just that it was surprisingly scarce. Just compare the number of posts on something like C.gachua and the number of posts on C.punctata on this very forum, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Well, to be fair, people like extremes and fall into three categories:
1. Want a channa, but can't dedicate the tank -> Dwarf sneakheads
2. Want true monsters -> all of channas are, but none can eat a 30cm goldfish like a Micropeltes or a diplogramma
3. Want pretty colors -> Pleurophthalma, most dwarves, anrantimaculata

That's why, in my opinion, punctata isn't much seen

 

[NativesMan]

Maybe that's it...although a punctata would in all fairness satisfy category 1. And perhaps 3.

I guess in the end it does all come down to personal taste, and for some reason, not many people find the punctata that appealing. I'm certainly in love with mine though! Looking forward to keeping it for a long time to come.

 

[Madou]

I love all channas, but bear in mind people love rarity, and punctata is none of that.

If it was up to me, I'd have a tank for a pair of every single channa there is, and Punctata sure wouldn't be the last one I buy!