# How to maintain a Red snakehead



## Kreth 10RBP (Dec 5, 2003)

My next attribution to the Pfury Database based off personal experience.

Before getting involved in the procedure of changing a supposed killing machine into a gentle giant, please remember that the 2 downsides of owning a redline besides the illegalitys, is the cost of feeders, and the fast rate of growth.

I will now attempt to remove the cost of feeders by introducing a method to training your Snakehead to eat cheaper and healthier food.

1.Experiment: Get my 15'' Redline Snakehead to eat dead food (Channa Micropeltes)

2. Purpose: The cost of feeders can be unbearable to a college/highschool student, and even some adults. At a point i was spending over 5$ a week to keep him fed (yes that is more than he needs to survive, but its not nearly what hes capable of eating).

3. Data: With the discovery of Beefheart at local meat markets for a cheap $3-4 per 2x fist sized heart. The meat comes as a whole, i highly recomend you cut the white chunks of fat, then store 90% of it in the freezer, and each week, take a small sample out, enough for your fish to eat that particular week. (beefheart shouldnt be refridgerated for more than 2 weeks, it spoils.

4. Procedure: Starvation begins. It took my redline 5 weeks to offically get him to accept beefheart. I was told by *Innes* (







) that in the wild, some fish go for a whole month without eating, a forced motion of fasting, but capable of such starvation. 5 weeks, and in this time he only hate approximately 10 small feeders, 1 small feeder a week to show him that i wasnt trying to starve him, but i wanted him to change his diet.









4b. I feed him out of a green net that i use to feed him feeders with, once he sees the net, he goes crazy. I dropped the beefheart in every day until he finally, the 5th week, didnt spit it out, and chewed it up.









4c. I credit the feeding to persistancy in constant feeding as well as consistency in not changing the form in which i feed.

4d. My snakehead was caught in the wild, then came to me at 6'', he never ate anything but live food, so dead food was a big change for him.

Conclusion: Thanks for reading and I hope this information helps at least 1 person out there, as well as keeps their pockets a little fatter.









Enjoy!

Ps- If i missed anything that others have dealt with, please post so others can adjust to a more universal understanding of their habits.


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## Kreth 10RBP (Dec 5, 2003)

I am honored to be in such a notable forum such as this









does this mean i wrote something worth my +1 post?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Kreth 10RBP said:


> I am honored to be in such a notable forum such as this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I thought it would be worth saving, despite you misquoting me


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## micus (Jan 7, 2004)

dude that rocks, although i do not own a redline , this info is awesome and i think its a cool thing to try to help ppl in the fish hobby with saving a bit of $$$$ i know its hard to come by sometimes, work allowance etc..... and it goes al hell of alot faster than it comes, well just for me any way , and my 15 year old spending habbits


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## Polypterus (May 4, 2003)

Variation in diet is extremely important, particularly in 
predatory fish,

While getting them to actually eat beyond live foods is a step
in the right direction,

it should not end there at one or two foods that are cheap,
Beefheart or Fish fillet alone will not provide a full balanced diet to the fish,
it alone will cause health problems.

Variation and rotation of food items is important both for the nutrition
and captive welfare of Predatory fish.

Just as a note:
Starvation is not a necessary part of training a fish to take prepared foods,
Key is to understand what triggers the fish to feed and eat, then to use those triggers
to make them accept the food and identify it as a food item,
after the initial Identification of an item as food it gets really easy from
there.

Understand and seek all info you can find on the Natural history and behavior
of your fish, then cross reference that with types similar that are currently
Game fishes or fishes that are being aquacultured. A lot of info can be extracted
and applied by this simple step.

More often than not the Triggers are: movement, then smell, then taste or struggle,
Training your fish by recreating these triggers takes what I think was
the best advice

Experiment with it
Just as Kreth has done, find what works and what does not,
but never stop at the first solution keep trying different foods until the
fish will take multiple foods

Then also do as Kreth has done, write it down and share what worked and how,

(Poly now feels compelled to do a Gar article)


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

You'd consider adorning us with a gar article?







You HUNK


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## Peacock (Feb 23, 2004)

how about talking about tank size..

dont even consider a Red snakehead unless you have a few grand to blow on a tank.


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## Kreth 10RBP (Dec 5, 2003)

Funny you mention that Peacock!

My father and brother are building a pond this summer 10x12 with glass inserts and an overhead cover. My dad does construction for a living, masonry to be exact. im not sure if im going to keep him in their or sell him before i get around to making it. i have him for sale on Predfish atm, no takers though. Maybe because im asking a wallet buster price


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

why is this topic in a perch forum?

CUZ ACESTRO IS LAZY


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

...

Hey!...


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

well... well its not considered a monophyletic order anyway


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