Orange Spotted Snakehead
Channa aurantimaculata
- Care level
- Specialist
- Adult size
- 40 cm
- Minimum tank
- 540 litres
- Temperature
- 10–28 °C
Species profile
Ocellated Snakehead
Channa pleurophthalma
Common names: Ocellated Snakehead
Recognized speciesSnakeheads
Adult size
Up to 35 cm
Up to 35 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A keeper with room for a large aquarium
- A dedicated tank built around this one fish
Think carefully if
- You only want to keep one or two, because this fish needs a group of 5 or more
- You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
- You cannot provide about 864 litres for a fully grown fish
- You keep shrimp you want to protect
A large snakehead with bright, ringed eyespots along its side, from Borneo and Sumatra. Keep a group of at least 5 in 864 litres or more.
Appearance and Identification
A large snakehead with bright, ringed eyespots along its side, from Borneo and Sumatra. It reaches about 35 cm, and it needs its own tank. Snakeheads are illegal to keep in some countries, including the United States, so check your local law.
Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.
Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 3,460–4,320 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 875–1300 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 864 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 240 cm
- Minimum group size
- 5
- Recommended group size
- 8
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low to moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Moderate
Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.
Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.
Many are intolerant of their own kind.
It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp. Choose its tankmates with care.
Water Parameters
Fairly tolerant of different water, if it is clean and stable.
Parameter caveat
Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
- Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
- EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.
A predator that eats fish and invertebrates. Offer frozen fish, prawns and earthworms.
Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- InfusoriaNeeded for the first days, because most fry are very small.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce as soon as the fry can take it.
An egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults eat eggs and fry, so use a separate tank with fine plants, moss or mesh on the bottom, and remove the adults after spawning. The fry need very small foods at first.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Indonesia, Southeast Asia
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater Stream
- Aquarium contexts
- Large Freshwater Aquarium, Planted Aquarium, Species-Only Aquarium
- Audience level
- Specialist
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Channa
- Family
- Channidae
- Species group
- Fish, Snakeheads
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Barca Snakehead
Channa barca
- Care level
- Specialist
- Adult size
- 90 cm
- Minimum tank
- 2430 litres
- Temperature
- 10–28 °C
Dwarf Snakehead
Channa gachua
- Care level
- Beginner
- Adult size
- 20 cm
- Minimum tank
- 243 litres
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C
Forest Snakehead
Channa lucius
- Care level
- Specialist
- Adult size
- 40 cm
- Minimum tank
- 540 litres
- Temperature
- 20–30 °C