Water changes for Channa?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
S

shawe1

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 28, 2013
336
7
33
Hertfordshire, England
I know this question has been asked before but I have done a search and cant see a definitive answer.

After switching from cichlids my instinct is to water change once a week but I know this is not appreciated very much by channa, but how often should it be done?

I have 4 juvies in a 100g with a fair amount of plants to help keep the nitrates in check. I also have two filters running on the tank from my previous stock but have the flow turned down to a minimum but I really dont know how often I should be doing water changes?

Thanks in advance
 
For my bigger ones, i do weekly 10-15% WC as they eat more and produce more waste. I do these WC even though their tanks are heavily planted.

For my dwarves, i do 10% WC every 2 - 3 weeks, depending on how much i feed during that few weeks. I do, however, have some walstad tanks that has not seen WC since i set it up, only topping up of water. It's water however, is extremely clean. Even cleaner than some of my filtered tanks.

So i'd say that 10-15% WC once every 2 weeks should be good, depending on how much you feed your Channas. You water should be clean enough, seeing how you have plants and 2 filters :)
 
I think it's hard to tell generously. Each and every tank develops its own balance or imbalance.
With new fish and/or a new tank I prefer to measure nitrite, nitrate and phosphate once a week. When I am halfway sure about the development of results, the break between measuring-intervals will be reduced and finally I start to trust my "feeling" by watching the fish and plants every day.

Just last week I was very surprised: the Channa-tank, getting little water-change (1/3) every two weeks, where there is never food remaining,
surprised me with an extremely high phoshate-content.

What I want to say: trust in your own observation, your "feeling" and check the water now and again.
 
A big issue with a lot of channa is overfeeding. I believe most channa are opportunistic predators, not active hunters. This means you shouldn't be feeding too much and therefore there shouldn't be too much waste in your tanks. I actually only feed my channa 1-2 times a week to keep them "slim" and healthy. You'll see some channa look like "sausages" and this is something you truly want to avoid as a channa keeper. Keep in mind, in the wild, you'll never see a channa that looks like a sausage!

personally, i do about a 30% water change after a few months when i notice debris collecting on the bottom. Otherwise, i have a cannister filter that keeps my tank fairly well cycled and balanced. Also, i keep most of my tanks planted which helps deal with the imbalances in water chemistry
 
chronick said:
.... I believe most channa are opportunistic predators, not active hunters. ...
Click to expand...
I like to disagree. I admit that I do keep guppies as live Channa-food. The Channa hunts them actively.
My Channa sometimes gets living food, because I believe, that it likes (and needs) hunting for ist psychological balance.

You meight laugh at me, but copying natural life as far as possible is my aim in fishkeeping.
 
[/SIZE]In my pleurophtalma tank I change 15-20% every 15 days
In the aurantis I used to 10% every month; more a less the same with the bleheri.
It depends a lot on the size of tank and fish, amount of plants, etc
 
Janneline said:
I like to disagree. I admit that I do keep guppies as live Channa-food. The Channa hunts them actively.
My Channa sometimes gets living food, because I believe, that it likes (and needs) hunting for ist psychological balance.

You meight laugh at me, but copying natural life as far as possible is my aim in fishkeeping.
Click to expand...

I never said that channa don't hunt live fish, but in an open environment where healthy fish can readily escape, i'm suggesting that channa will go after easier prey. They just don't have the body shape or the speed to hunt quick minnows and other fish. So I don't think that they eat as much food as we are supplying in aquaria.

I also think in the wild, their diet comprises more of crustaceans, and insects. In aquaria, we typically feed pellets and high protein based foods, which isn't always reflective of their actual diet. Lately, i've been feeding my channa lots of frozen and freeze dried krill and i definitely think they look healthier and grow better
 
chronick said:
...I also think in the wild, their diet comprises more of crustaceans, and insects. In aquaria, we typically feed pellets and high protein based foods, which isn't always reflective of their actual diet. Lately, i've been feeding my channa lots of frozen and freeze dried krill and i definitely think they look healthier and grow better
Click to expand...

Sorry, probably I missunderstood you. My channa gets fish, crickets, shrimps, earthworms and other Insects, that can be caught in the garden, once or twice a week. Mostly the food is alive, sometimes frozen.
It always schows itself as a very fast hunter!

Haha, in the beginning I was inexperienced and wanted to feed an earthworm. Channa had seen that from inside the tank, I opened the lid, same second Channa jumped towards the worm and touched down on the floor.
Since then I pay attention not to let him see, what I got in my hand!:D

 
chronick said:
I never said that channa don't hunt live fish, but in an open environment where healthy fish can readily escape, i'm suggesting that channa will go after easier prey. They just don't have the body shape or the speed to hunt quick minnows and other fish. So I don't think that they eat as much food as we are supplying in aquaria.

I also think in the wild, their diet comprises more of crustaceans, and insects. In aquaria, we typically feed pellets and high protein based foods, which isn't always reflective of their actual diet. Lately, i've been feeding my channa lots of frozen and freeze dried krill and i definitely think they look healthier and grow better
Click to expand...

Are you sure you're talking about the Giant Snakehead / Channa Micropeltes too? Because then you don't know what you're talking about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom