In Defense of Snakeheads
My Experience with Channa orientalis
by Kevin Korotev
From "Splash," Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Aquarticles
Snakeheads are not monstrous eating machines that will cross highways to kill your dog.
It is a shame that during this last summer of 2002, this and other equally ridiculous
things were being said about a FISH. You heard it. You saw it on TV. We laughed about it
at an MAS meeting. I even had to face an email tirade from a young hobbyist in Northern
Wisconsin after listing some of these fish on the Internet auction site: AQUABID. In his
mind, to even OWN the fish was an atrocity. Here’s some more, as written by
WASHINGTON POST reporter, Anita Huslin: "U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gail
Norton today will propose a ban on the importation of 28 species of the voracious
air-breathing, ground-slithering fish known as the snakehead, following the discovery of a
thriving school of the creatures in a suburban Maryland pond. Native to the Yangtze River
region of China, the fish has appeared in at least seven states and has upset the natural
order by eating virtually everything -- plant and animal -- within its reach."
Ignorance is a dangerous weapon.
A mated pair of Channa orientalis and a couple dozen of their fry can be
comfortably housed in a 30-gallon tank. They ARE hearty eaters, but the male HAS to when
eat he can. He does not eat at all during his month long mouth-brooding and fry guarding
ordeal. As Anabantoids, they will routinely rise to the surface for a gulp of air…and
the stories of them "flying" are only half-lies, as these fish are incredible
jumpers. But this behavior is generally limited to courtship and the territorial squabbles
that occur during their adolescence. Ideally and inevitably, there will be only one female
in a tank and the one male she chooses as her mate. She will kill those she can't eject.
If you DO leave room for escape, you WILL find snakeheads on the floor. If you catch them
soon enough, they will survive for a time unharmed...but not in the same tank.
Half of this description could fit nearly ANY large cichlid!
I came upon what became my current pair of Channa orientalis at Gary's Pets
'n' Things, in Cudahy. They were half-grown at 3" and peacefully occupying opposite
corners of a tank. It surprised me to see just two because although Gary had been getting
youngsters regularly from Yohan Fernando, he’d been getting them in groups. "Why
are there only two in this tank?", I asked. The response was a description of the
activity I’d seen in my own tanks that had already cost me two sets of juveniles.It
seems there HAD been six or seven fish the day before, but when Gary entered the fish room
on THIS day, all but the remaining two were scattered on the floor like cheap cigars at a
mafia wedding. This was probably a disappointing vision to him, but it meant something
different to me: a probable pairing! Upon inspection, it was clearly obvious that the two
remaining fish were the now dominant female and her chosen male. Once the female has
chosen her mate and ejected all others, the whole attitude of the tank changes. The fish
calm down, seem to interact and actually ENJOY each other. Their sexual difference becomes
obvious as they quickly mature to the time of their first spawn. She is the larger, duller
colored one. He is the smaller, colorful one. Channa orientalis grow from spawn
to spawning in less than a year.
I have seen the entire spawning process with two different sets of adult Channa
orientalis. It seems important to mention this because each pair had their own unique
personality. One set was pretty flamboyant; flaring and wiggling and swimming circles
around each other. I once saw a female in a shimmy-shake exercise that reminded me of a
little puppy in a "full-body wag". My current pair is considerably more
discreet. They approach each other and simply agree it is TIME.
Regardless of the approach, the actual spawning is typically Anabantoid. Like the Betta
or Gourami, the two fish wrap half-circles around each other and as the s-q-u-e-e-z-e
begins, eggs and milt are mixed to fertilize the eggs. These eggs float to the top where,
once he’s regained his energy, the male collects them in his mouth for a two week
incubation. After he expels his two dozen or more fry, he guards them relentlessly for
another two weeks. Food is shunned…and the tank will erupt if anything live is
flipped in as food for the female. The snake-ettes pretty much hug the bottom, near him,
for about a month. If he has a good hiding spot during this time, you will rarely see him.
When he does appear, it will only be because his fry have begun roaming and he is ready to
start eating again. This is the time to see him in all his colorful splendor…which he
will display as long as the youngsters remain in the tank for him to guard. During this
time, it is said that the female of some species will lay unfertilized eggs for the fry to
eat. The orientalis does not behave this way. On the whole, she ignores the fry.
I believe you could keep Channa orientalis in Milwaukee tap water, but I
didn’t, preferring to mix it with R/O at 50%. As Anabantoids, these fish prefer still
water, but with PVC "retreats", they weren’t discomforted by a power filter
sweeping water LENGTHWISE through a 30 gallon long. The temperature was a constant 78-80
degrees. You will notice an "attitude" coloration, particularly in the female,
if you change too much water at once. Red (leaf) worms from the local bait shop seem a
particularly favorite food. I feed them whole to the adult fish, but did chop them up some
when they were younger. Other foods to try are: feeder guppies, freeze-dried krill, frozen
bloodworms, mosquito larvae, crickets, small crayfish and simple floating pellet food.
This last item is not a favorite once you’ve fed any of the others, but they will eat
it in a pinch.
I hate to imagine how much damage this fascinating species suffered from the bad press
this last summer of 2002. There will always be people with disparaging words for those
things they don’t understand. But in this hobby, with the exchange of ideas being the
primary way that people learn; I hope this little article helps educate those that
otherwise might continue to spread lies about this truly unique and fascinating fish.
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