# ID this snakehead



## Slay (May 2, 2003)

see here:
http://forums.waterwolves.com/index.php?ac...t=0#entry931641
thanks

more pics at the bottom of this page***


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## Silence (Sep 22, 2005)

Does it have ventral fins? They look like baby Striatas to me, yes.


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

the stripes on the back of the striata in your 2nd pic look just like the ones on the babies.


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

They ar eso cute when small







You will need better pics for a 100% positive ID, but personally I am almost sure that it is a Channa striata









Are they yours?


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## Serygo (May 17, 2004)

ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua







...


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Serygo said:


> ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity: Why do you think it is a C. Gachua?


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

they are not mine.
i think they are striata.
Even at 1", they show alot of aggression towards each other.
I've never seen this much aggression between snakeheads, and they are still very small.


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

Here are some better pics with flash.


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## Serygo (May 17, 2004)

jan said:


> ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity: Why do you think it is a C. Gachua?








[/quote]

I could ask you the same thing, why do you think its Channa striata?
But I chose Gachua because I just dont like going along with peoples assumptions very often.


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

Serygo said:


> ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity: Why do you think it is a C. Gachua?








[/quote]

I could ask you the same thing, why do you think its Channa striata?
But I chose Gachua because I just dont like going along with peoples assumptions very often.
[/quote]

I know







I was only interested in the reason why you thought it was a Gachua, since I had strong doubts between the two species and maybe you could make this more clear.
The main reason why I think it is a Striata were the stripes on the side of the snakehead and just the overall looks. But it is very hard to give a 100% positive ID at a young age


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## Serygo (May 17, 2004)

jan said:


> ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity: Why do you think it is a C. Gachua?








[/quote]

I could ask you the same thing, why do you think its Channa striata?
But I chose Gachua because I just dont like going along with peoples assumptions very often.
[/quote]

I know







I was only interested in the reason why you thought it was a Gachua, since I had strong doubts between the two species and maybe you could make this more clear.
The main reason why I think it is a Striata were the stripes on the side of the snakehead and just the overall looks. But it is very hard to give a 100% positive ID at a young age :nod:
[/quote]

Thats exactly why i was thinking Striata, but yet,,, if you look at some of the pictures that he has posted, and then go to google and look up Channa Gachua there are some pics... And some of the pictures with the fish in them,,, look like the fish that he posted above,,, like the lighter version of the fish, looks like one of the lighter versions of the pictures in google.

Hope you understood what I said, cuz I bairly did


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

i have some new thoughts...
the fish have spots on the dorsal fin. you can see this in the 2nd group of pics.
c. gachua don't have these spots (at least at larger sizes).
c. straita do indeed have spots on the dorsal fin.

BUT,,,,,,
do all snakeheads have ventral fins? i think the answer is no. these fish do not have them.
both c. gachua and c. straita have ventral fins. i found a species on snakeheads.org that does not have ventral fins and appears to have spots on the dorsal fin as well as stripes on the sides.
this fish is C. burmanica.

edit....
now that i look closer, it seems to look more like C. asiatica.
the only thing that these are missing is the spot on the tail, but they are still small.
check out the pics on snakeheads.org.
or here: http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=7756

THANKS!!


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## na_cheers (Mar 23, 2006)

could be channa orientalis...no plevic fins but look like gachuas


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## Blue (Mar 23, 2005)

Serygo said:


> ok fine... ill go against the odds and say its a Gachua
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity: Why do you think it is a C. Gachua?








[/quote]

I could ask you the same thing, why do you think its Channa striata?
But I chose Gachua because I just dont like going along with peoples assumptions very often.
[/quote]

way to spread confusion!







er I meant help out, ya that's it.


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

I don't know if this is pertinent, but someetimes in bettas depending on the genetics and overfeeding while the fry are small, sometimes ventrals do not form. There is always the chance that it could be a fish from a spawning where ventrals failed to appear.


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## nick c (Mar 23, 2006)

WOW!! Ive been searching for places to catch snakeheads in cali, no luck. I know of one pond in a business park that supposedly has some big ones but it is closely patrolled by a security guard. nice fish though!!


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

okay i lied, they do have ventral fins.
my bad.


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

okay, so i got more pics and tried to count the dorsal and anal bands.
i got 31-33dorsal and 22 anal. i compared that to the chart on snakeheads.org and the only kinds that matched or were close are : punctata, gachua, harcourtbutleri, and panaw.
the newest pic i have looks like orientalis to me, but orientalis don't have pelvic fins.
channa straita was not even close to matching ray#s.


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## na_cheers (Mar 23, 2006)

c.gachuas for sure


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## Silence (Sep 22, 2005)

Ah finally a clear perfect picture! now I see a Channa Gachua.







Yes, agree with Nas.


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## Silence (Sep 22, 2005)

Gachua and its babies.


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## timmy (Mar 29, 2004)

Slay said:


> okay, so i got more pics and tried to count the dorsal and anal bands.
> i got 31-33dorsal and 22 anal. i compared that to the chart on snakeheads.org and the only kinds that matched or were close are : punctata, gachua, harcourtbutleri, and panaw.
> the newest pic i have looks like orientalis to me, but orientalis don't have pelvic fins.
> channa straita was not even close to matching ray#s.


Perhaps letting us know what country you are in! Some species are more prone in countrys than others. EX, Gachua are the most common found in the united states du to their breeding ability, so if you got these in the states they are most likely gachua as there are not many breeding pairs of anything else!.


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## Slay (May 2, 2003)

oh yeah, those babies look just like mine. 
you couldn't tell that from the other pics?
before i counted the rays, i was almost sure they were a large species because of their appetite and their temperment. 
they are mean. they chase each other around every time they see each other. is this normal for gachuas?
thanks all.


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