# snakeheads



## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

Can someone tell me more about snakeheads. From my other thread apparently they are illegal all over because someone let one out in the wild.

Any pictures, articles, explainations or summaries would be great. Also can i still buy one?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

not illegal here - I will get some handy links when I can be botherd


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## Iceman (Apr 28, 2003)

there not illegal in canada ethier, i just bought a 4inch red snakehead(channa micropeltes) , its a really cool fish, but ive read when they get bigger they get real nasty, and they get really big up to 39inches in the wild, its recommended that they have a 180gallon tank or bigger, they have the nickname of tank busters cause they can acctually break through sides of tanks, they have a good pair of choppers on them, ive heard that they can attack u when doing water changes, and there really good jumpers, so have a tight fitting lid on your tank, and they r pigs, i feed my snakehead 7 rosy reds and honestly they were gone in 5 sec's ive never seen a fish eat like it
and hes only 4inches now, i cant imagine what he'll be eating when bigger, but anyways i hope this information helps u


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.c...=Perform+Search


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## klockz (Apr 21, 2003)

ok, i have a 10 inch red snakehead and i dont think theres any way he could break the glass. they're only illegal in like 14 states. i live in ny and i have one. but i heard they're illegal to import into the country now or somethinghes an awesome fish, i heard they only eat feeders though. mine eats about 5 goldfish a day, he wont even touch anything else. I dont have a pic but go here for more info. www.snakeheads.org


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## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

Interesting, i did a search and found some pictures of them. At first it sounds kind of like an arowana, size wise that is.

So can you have a 14" snakehead with a 14" arowana? assuming enough tank space, etc. how aggressive and territorial are they?


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## CoolD (Apr 16, 2003)

i cant say for sure because i dont own either fish, but i have seen them nboth many times at a friends house, and i would have to guess that a snakehead and an arowana the same size in the same tank.... goodbye arowana


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## Deeks (Apr 23, 2003)

A budy of mine had a snakehead and said it was by far the nastiest fish he has owend. They are similar to rhoms when they get big, in that they are intollerant of any other fish in their tanks. Very tough fish. They are illegal several places because they have been released into the wild and they reak havoc on the eco system. In the home aquarium they can be picky when eating, in the wild, they eat everything in sight.


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## yonderway (Apr 28, 2003)

I will never own a snakehead again. It is too hard/expensive to put together an appropriate enclosure in captivity for them. I would say that all of the aquariums you see on the market, all the way up to 300g (usually anything bigger than that is custom) are proportioned all wrong for snakeheads. These fish get over three feet long (and they get there *fast*... I would say they grow even faster than pacus). How are they even going to turn around comfortably in an aquarium that is only 2 feet wide (even if it is like 8 feet long)?

Also, when they get older, they get _extremely_ aggressive & territorial. At about 8" mine would start jumping out of the tank when I opened the lid and bite the hand that feeds. I started using tongs to feed him before I ultimately got rid of him.

I've not met anyone yet that could claim to have a humane setup to keep a snakehead for the duration of its natural life. The story is always the same... some fool (and I lump myself into that... I didn't learn about them before buying one) will buy this fish because they are mean & have teeth, but have no good plan for what to do when the thing is 2 feet long and still growing, eating mice because it can't be bothered to eat tiny goldfish anymore, etc.

I lump snakeheads in with iguanas and possibly pacus as pets that probably should be illegal for LFS's to sell.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

DAY-AMN. It sounds like its the fish from freakin hell or something


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

There is a federal ban on Snakeheads
they are illegal to transport or import in all fifty states,
currently owned fish can not be sold across state lines,
you may keep what you have, you just can not
move them out of state and no new fish will come in,
Several states do have outright bans on them in which
they are totaly forbidden,

an example of why we as aquarists need to be responsable with
those animals we keep, and never look at release as an option


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## BUICKBOY (May 9, 2003)

I currently have two snakeheads. About 6-7" long in with a needle gar.
Snakeheads are illegal because they eat the same foods as bowfin i beleive but are more hardy. They breath off the top of the tank taking breaths. As far as agressive they dont do much until they think its feeding time. When fed tho very fast i could see how a big one could break the glass or bite you.
I have been told they will eat the gar but as it is the gar quite often will bite them on the heads and run into the sides of them with his mouth open and chase them around. This does not appear to hurt them as i have heard their skin is like leather. Once i didnt feed them for two days this brought out the aggression, when i fed them they ripped a goldfish in half and were racing around the tank like nuts.


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

> I have been told they will eat the gar but as it is the gar quite often will bite them on the heads and run into the sides of them with his mouth open and chase them around.


??????????????
thats not a needlefish, or any Real gar, and those cannot be snakeheads if they
don't eat them, Sorry I'm a natural skeptic and this does not fit into the behavior
of either fish, true gar are very timid, and docile fish, they are far from aggressive
and never show territorial behavior

needlefish try to kill themselves just for fun, to escape guppies, and would prefer
cowering to a fight with a fruitfly

In a way yes snakeheads are now banned because they eat the same foods as
the bowfin, only the Bowfin belongs here, the Snakehead does not
The snakehead has now been banned because it has the potential
of becoming a Non-native aquatic pest that has the ability of severely
impacting native fish populations, if it should become established
the snakehead could wreck havoc on our fisherys,

Personally I applaud the ruling, and Hope it may send a message

Be responsable or pay the price,
Never release an unwanted fish


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## BUICKBOY (May 9, 2003)

Yes they are snakeheads and the needle gar does not always chase them only somtimes. Also I am in canada where they are legal.


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

What is this "Needle gar" 
No fish I know of that frequently has this name fits this behavior,
Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to flame you, attack you, or in any
why discount your claim But I doubt the common name of this fish is
accurate to those known to have it, True gar are not an aggressive fish,
and neither those that are commonly called needle gar 
Lepidososteus osseus or Xenentodon cancilia
fit the behavior you discribe

Can you provide a pic or scientific name to put to this fish?

(Personally I hate common names as they are often very misleading, and not
very informative, often they are just made up by the retailer or wholesaler
and are not truly reflective of a actual species, common names can cause
serious confusion as to the true identity of a species)


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## WebHostExpert (Jan 16, 2003)

I personally owned a 22" channa (snakehead).
They are very mean and can jump out of the tank at anytime.

I had to duct tape the lids and lights onto my aqurio to keep him from jumping out. He would only eat live food, and it did not matter what it was.

After he jumped out of the tank and try'd to eat my foot I got rid of him. no B/S.

The smaller ones are ok, but when they get bigger they can and will brake the tank they are in. they grow very large up to 4ft and grow quick.

They are make just like a snake all muscle. Very very strong, and have large teeth to say the least.

You would not be happy owning one when It got larger.

here are some pics of the one I had...
















someone elses.

























Hope this can help you make more of an educated choice on owning one or not.

MAD


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

That thing looks f*cking beautiful. I'd have to endure alot fo sh*t before i'd wanna get rid of it


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## WebHostExpert (Jan 16, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> That thing looks f*cking beautiful. I'd have to endure alot fo sh*t before i'd wanna get rid of it


 not really, just loose some fingers or get bit and he would be gone. I wasn't waiting for that to happen.

MAD


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## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

It seems like everything has been discussed on snakeheads except one: PRICE! how much are they to buy as babys, adults, etc.?


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## BUICKBOY (May 9, 2003)

I paid 12.00 ea canadian for mine.


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## Guest (May 12, 2003)

Can you kept other reds with a red snakehead or any other type of fish?


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## thoroughbred (Mar 14, 2003)

MAD piranhas said:


> I personally owned a 22" channa (snakehead).
> They are very mean and can jump out of the tank at anytime.
> 
> I had to duct tape the lids and lights onto my aqurio to keep him from jumping out. He would only eat live food, and it did not matter what it was.
> ...


 it really snapped at ur foot and tried to jump out the tank? sheesh ive seen a 2ft one at my lfs when i was in buffalo(ny) and it was beautiful but thats too juch trouble it jumps out at me snapping ima hack its friggin head off


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

red sh are mean Fers. i never had the chance to own one but i know this guys who does and they look nice. i have had dwarf sh. they are cool. grow like weeds and does the alligator death roll on food they cant eat in one bite. they also had the nerve to bite me one time when i was cleaning the tank. they tried frenzing on my finger!


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

did the bites draw bloow?

how aggressive are the dwarf snakeheads, can they be kept with other tankmates?


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## oldmanweezer (Apr 1, 2003)

My brother in-law has a snakehead. He told me that they can crawl across the floor. Of course i didnt believe him so he proved it to me. He set the fish on the ground(not recommended) at it tore ass across the floor. my advice is to wear shoes whenever you have to remove them from the tank. His grew really fast too. Unfortunalty its dead now but it grew from 4 inches to about 13 inches in around 8 months. It was quite a scary fish.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Innes said:


> not illegal here - I will get some handy links when I can be botherd


 heres a handy snakehead link








_Channidae Channa_

another handy snakehead link

heres another handy snakehead link

heres yet another handy snakehead link


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## Zuri (Jun 23, 2003)

WOW!







My LFS has 2 in a HUGE tank with some other big fish. They're practically giving them away, for like $40/US. They're neat looking fish, but after reading this, I would NEVER own one. My Ps don't make me very nervous, but something like a Snakehead would. Perhaps they should be banned completely, because of stupid people letting them go.

Great thread folks, I love this forum.


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

Here's two in Windsor Ontario 
I think they're pretty freaking cool looking .


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

piranhabar said:


> WOW!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 to hell with america's indigenous wildlife, I say. I WANT MY f*cking SNAKEHEADS AND PIRANHAS


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> to hell with america's indigenous wildlife, I say. I WANT MY f*cking SNAKEHEADS AND PIRANHAS


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

i have dwarfs, theyre not terribly aggressive normally, but if u get a pair, they will chase other fish. they make great tank mates with non-aggressive fish. cichlids will kick the crap outta dwarf snakeheads. wish my rainbow SHs were still alive.


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

> to hell with america's indigenous wildlife, I say. I WANT MY f*cking SNAKEHEADS AND PIRANHAS


I would say to hell with your Snakeheads and Piranaha, I WANT MY f*cking NATIVE FISH
which are much more interesting than stupid ass Snakeheads or boring ass Piranaha,








Just my 2 cents


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