# Plants with Snakehead?



## Oranda

Hello,

I haven't posted anything for a while. I've been having great success with my Oranda 55g tank ever since I got a canister filtration system. No deaths and I have finally been able to keep a pleco alive for over 4-5 months! I hate Petlands Plecos... they're all diseased or something... Anyways!


The one thing about my Oranda tank that makes me sad is that anytime I put a live plant in there the Orandas either pick at it or the rocks around it and the darn plants always die. That or my crabs eat the leaves... 

So I am using a 30g tank and I found a local pet store that sells Snakehead infants for $95. I already checked and they are legal where I live. That being said I have done a lot of reading and a lot of stuff out there for snakehead aquariums but I can't find much info on what plants I can have in the aquarium with a Snakehead. Are any plants okay? I read that they will burrow if they don't have any hiding spots. I was thinking of putting one of those fake caves .. but I want the set up to be as real as possible, none of that fake stuff. I was looking at some driftwood with fern moss on it, but seeing as how a Snakehead is $95 I don't want to put any plants in the tank that'll kill it... very costly mistakes.

I haven't bought the fish yet, I want to get the plants and everything situated in the tank before I buy the fish. I bought a 15lb bag of Flourite for the base substrate, and I am adding another inch of sand / small rock mix on top of that. 

I want the tank to have an abundance of plant life but I don't want it to be crowded. 

Also I am worried about CO2, I read the forum here and a few others and I am still very confused about it.

Also with an aggressive fish how does one handle algae? I'm afraid the snakehead would eat the pleco as soon as it was dropped in the tank. 

I really want to set this up right the first time and not have to worry about it. So I am very reserved on making choices, I respect your opinions and I am sorry if I am asking stuff that should already be researched. I assure you I have spent the last 3 days doing nothing but reading up on this and I am still very very confused.


Thank you in advance,

Oranda

:fish::fish::fish:


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## mpfsr

First off I want you to know how mean and aggressive these fish are. They will bite you and leave nasty cuts. They should not have tank mates as they will kill and eat them no matter the size. My first male I had ate a 9" Oscar and a 12" gar at the time he was about 8" long. I have spawned these fish many times back in the mid 80's the type I had was called "green snakehead" and red snakehead back then no one really knew how many types there was or what the true scientific names were. A 30g tank will only be good for this fish for maybe 6 months if cared for correctly it will have out grown that tank by then. I would use a 90g or bigger tank something with at least 18" front to back, but 24" would be much better. Now if you want it to stay in the tank you had better have a very heavy brick or rock on the top it will find a way out and relentlessly attack the lid till it gets out. when mine was 14" or so it knocked a cider block off my lid and I found him behind my bedroom door still alive and squirming. Think long about this fish as from what you have described your not ready to care for it yet. As for plants think of them as Oscars if they don't want it there they will move it that goes for anything in the tank.

Think of this fish as the Honey Badger of freshwater fishes!!!


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## Oranda

Aye, I have done a lot of research within the last 3 days on them. These start out at about 3 inches big from the pet store. I plan to make a bigger tank when necessary. I'd like to make it now but my wife insist I work with the 30g before going all out on another tank. I have tried to tell her that it would be a lot less hassle to put the plants and fish in the bigger and not have to worry about moving them to a bigger tank in a few months. She's a glass is half full kinda person. So while I wholeheartedly agree with a bigger tank ( I was planning on making a 150g personally ), the forces that they are, I am stuck with the 30g for the time being. I'm sure once it gets out that first time she will either tell me to make the bigger tank or divorce me. rofl


:fish::fish::fish:


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## Betta man

They are VERY aggressive. Check the regs and make SURE that it doesn't escape.


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## emc7

They are illegal in southern states where they could survive the winter. Don't think the Northern one prohibit them. 

I do think you should keep fish that fit the tank you have, not the future potential tank. Things change and the best plans get derailed by life. Like oscars and pacu and peacock bass, these things are cute when the are small but no one want them once they have grown to need a big tank. don't force a choice between wife and fish.

There are some attractive dwarf snakehead relatives, but they are not seen in stores.


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## Oranda

What I am getting is considered ( I believe ) to be a dwarf snakehead. It's called a Rainbow Snakehead in the store but.. it's not exactly Petco / Petsmart so I was going to take a picture and post it on here before saying with affirmation that it's that breed of snakehead. I read online that they only get to be 8 inches. Figured for just one this is fine. I'd like 2 of them for the future, but the 2nd can wait until I get a bigger tank. It's about 1-3 inches in the store, length wise. Hence the not getting the bigger tank now and waiting, also I am not even considering buying the fish until I get the aquarium set up to how I want it plant wise. That really is my bigger concern...


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## Betta man

It's probably illegal in Ca. most parts of Ca. Post pics!


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## Obsidian

I am wondering: What part of "I already checked this out and they are legal where I live" have folks been missing? Stop getting on him about the legal aspects, he did the research.

Before you consider having 2 in the way of one now and one later I would research that they can be added that way. With aggressive fish sometimes adding a second fish later is a death sentence. I don't know that this is the case here, I only know enough to suggest looking into it LOL. At almost $100 a piece you don't want to mess that up!


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## Betta man

Ooops, I didn't see that part.


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## Obsidian




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## emc7

I looked it up, the rainbow is one of the small ones. Only 8" grown. Pretty fish. Never kept any, so my advice is worthless. 

I think that fish with teeth like that don't eat plants. but will chew them up if they are in their way. And you want plants that don't need a bunch of moving or pruning as I wouldn't care to stick my hand in a tank with one of those. 

I haven't figured out the whole CO2 thing myself. But I understand its a matter of balance. Matching the lights, the ferts, and CO2 so that plants grow fast and out-compete the algae. I would try low-light, no CO2 to start with. Its cheaper and you won't have to reach in and trim plants every weekend.

Maybe you could do snails for algae control. Raise them in a separate tank, throw them in and if they get eaten, you've feed the fish.


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## Oranda

Maybe I will just stick with the one snakehead. I don't want it to eat the new one I drop in.

Snails are a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. 

Right now the tank water is super dirty, because I put in Flourite Black for the bottom substrate and than gravel over the top of that. Says it can take up to 96 hours for it to settle. Once it's settled I will add the plants I have so far. I'm going to order some plants off of http://shop.plantedaquariumscentral.com/ - They seem to have the best prices and a wide variety of plants.


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## Obsidian

Just look up how to introduce them to your tank, it's entirely possible they will do fine together, it's just something I would research before doing with a fish that expensive


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## Oranda

Most places I have looked don't mention anything about cleaning the tank. They say keep them in a species only tank. But that doesn't tell me how to keep the algae out of the tank if I can't add in a Pleco. I was thinking snails. That or a magnet cleaner.


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## Oranda

I got 4 types of plants from Low to Strong light requirements. I have Micro Sword ( Strong light ), Anubias Nana ( Low to Moderate Light ), Narrow Leaf Chain Sword ( Moderate Light ) and lastly Java Moss ( Any light ). 

I have two pieces of Malaysian driftwood, one small piece I added Java Moss to it and lightly wrapped thin fishing wire around so it'd hold nice. The second piece of Malaysian driftwood is very nice, spent a whole day finding the perfect piece at around 5 pet stores. I wanted one that I could turn into a moss arch. The piece I have not only has an arch but also has a piece that branches off to make a nice C-shaped cove. I also attached the Java Moss with fishing wire. 

The water has only been running for about 6 hours, so it's still cloudy from the fertilizer. 










Well I was worried about the two Channa Bleheri I purchased getting out of my aquarium... so I modified my tank. I went and had 6 pieces of glass cut. Than used aquarium safe silicon to mold two pieces together for the sides and than just siliconed a handle on one of the top pieces. Nothing fancy but it does the job nicely.

Side piece.









Back piece with plastic spacers.









Top view.


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## Oranda

They seem happy with their new home. Keeping a careful eye on them and the plants. The only thing I don't like about the substrate is it leaves a dusty look on some of the items in the tank.

Pictures of my Channa:


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## Oranda

Plants have started growing a lot bigger since I started to give them monthly doses of nutrients. I've been using Flourish. My 2 Channa get a minnow / blood worm diet. They're not as aggresive as other Channa which I don't mind. They love to hide in the Java Moss.


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## yannis2307

yeah man if you've researched on the catastrophic parts of those fish you should know that those menaces have been causing an ecodisaster! don't you even think of letting them go or escape in local creeks, even if the fish in those ponds or whatever dont have a way to get into larger water networks. they are known to be able to live out of the water for 7 days and more, without any humidity as other fish would need! they can travel on land too, due to their body shape and strength! they were introduced to the usa after being imported from asia, and they were imported how? as food, their fillet is in great demand. they were put into freezers to transport them to the usa. the fish were transported whole, and then they were alive again in the usa the first 5 minutes you put them in the water... surviving temperatures below freezing point and waterless enviroment for over 96 hours sometimes.and then someone released them in the local pond and they spread...they have been destroying the ecosystem of many states, as they kill and eat even the largest freshwater fish there! they have been knnown to appear in water networks with no explanation, even 5 km of land away from the nearest water body they have been known to exist... they are also dangerous to humen, as they bite and leave large wounds which can cause ulcers etc....they have been climbing up north towards washington one river of the usa which's name i dont remember now, and destroying more and more ecosystems. they have been overpopulating areas as they spawn and multiply extremely fast in the wild...even their fry are dominating ponds and creeks, as some scientists have wiped entire adult populations from small ponds and then the local fauna thrived for some time, then the snakeheads got into adulthood and dominated the area again...

few, i got it out of me lol


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## emc7

Never release any exotic into the wild. Never release any wild that you've put in a tank with exotics, it could spread disease in the wild. There are small, pretty cousins of most of the real menaces that are getting caught in blanket bans and kept from responsible, law-abiding hobbyists. And fish that seem innocuous, like plecos, are doing real damage where they don't belong.

That fish is pretty cute, not like the butt-ugly 2 ft monster with the 4" teeth from S. America idiots are keeping just because "its cool".


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## yannis2307

you're right but even in small sizes snakeheads can spread disaster....generally, i would suggest not to interfere with ecosystems by releasing ANY fish there, even if the odds are 99% for the fish you are releasing not to be harmful. its a huge risk anyways...


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## Oranda

yannis2307 said:


> yeah man if you've researched on the catastrophic parts of those fish you should know that those menaces have been causing an ecodisaster! don't you even think of letting them go or escape in local creeks, even if the fish in those ponds or whatever dont have a way to get into larger water networks. they are known to be able to live out of the water for 7 days and more, without any humidity as other fish would need! they can travel on land too, due to their body shape and strength! they were introduced to the usa after being imported from asia, and they were imported how? as food, their fillet is in great demand. they were put into freezers to transport them to the usa. the fish were transported whole, and then they were alive again in the usa the first 5 minutes you put them in the water... surviving temperatures below freezing point and waterless enviroment for over 96 hours sometimes.and then someone released them in the local pond and they spread...they have been destroying the ecosystem of many states, as they kill and eat even the largest freshwater fish there! they have been knnown to appear in water networks with no explanation, even 5 km of land away from the nearest water body they have been known to exist... they are also dangerous to humen, as they bite and leave large wounds which can cause ulcers etc....they have been climbing up north towards washington one river of the usa which's name i dont remember now, and destroying more and more ecosystems. they have been overpopulating areas as they spawn and multiply extremely fast in the wild...even their fry are dominating ponds and creeks, as some scientists have wiped entire adult populations from small ponds and then the local fauna thrived for some time, then the snakeheads got into adulthood and dominated the area again...
> 
> few, i got it out of me lol


I'm going to ask you nicely once to stop posting in my thread. 

For one, you're spreading information that isn't true. There is no scientific research or proof that connects Channa bites with ulcers. And the only recorded Channa attacks on humans are when their fry were in danger, the same could be said about bears who's cubs are being attacked. It's any animals natural instinct to protect their young including human beings.

Secondly, I don't take kindly to you coming here and taking this thread off topic by a large leap. If you have a problem with Channa, fine, keep it to yourself or start a thread about it. If you bothered to READ this thread you'd notice that I have no intentions of releasing these Channa as I have taken great pride in not only raising these fish but doing it in a well planted aquarium. These Channa will never out-grow the aquarium they are in. I am breeding feeder fish so they don't lose their predatory instincts. I have every intention of breeding them.

Lastly there are plenty of Channa owners, like myself, who take pride in raising these beautiful fish. I will defend these fish because I understand that they do have a bad reputation, but it's people like you who watched an episode of River Monsters that makes you feel entitled to know more about them than what is actually true. If you want to blame Channa for destroying an eco-system that's fine, but don't flame my thread about plants in a Channa environment. Do it some where else. Not my thread. In my opinion, you're a sad individual because you want to go get your pitched fork and torch to burn the Channa out of town. 

Phew, got it out. I would ask that an Admin removes not only your post, but the following replies including mine for being off-topic. :admin:


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## yannis2307

Haha man chill I had no intention to insult you or jack your thread but you ain't got any right to call me a sad individual and whatever followed I just wanted to express my opinion that snakeheads are a terrible mistakes.... And yes they only attack humans when their fry are in danger but they always have fry they multiply superbly fast in the wild .... Anyway man I had no intention on being offensive...


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## emc7

snakeheads are a big problem in some southern states where they have been introduced by stupid people. and the big ones do bite. I've seen the pics. They are like sharks, they swim around, hit something, chomp, and if it doesn't fit, they spit it out, but you are still chomped. Asian Carp are a big problem where they don't belong, plecos are are a big problem where they don't belong. Everyone needs to keep aquarium fish in the aquarium or all 'exotic' fish will be illegal to keep. I don't thing chain stores should sell babies of big snakeheads, cichlids (peacock bass), carp (goldfish), tetra (pacu), catfish (IR sharks) because the dumping of fish that outgrow the tank is a predictable result. I don't think any fish should be illegal but importing hundreds of thousands of future 6' fish is irresponsible and we should tell our stores not to do it. 

Anyway that's my rant. Sorry that your threads keeps getting hijacked. It seems like snakehead is another "hot button" word like "blood parrot", "undergravel filter" and some others that always seem to trigger a canned rant although the author changes.

Your plants look nice to me.


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## austinroberts23

Beautiful fish. Like any pet. Treat it well And respectful and you'll be fine!


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## emc7

There are nice pics of this fish in the newest Amazonas, the one with the big-lipped C. Moori on the cover.


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## Oranda

Well I just set up a 10g breeder tank with 6 guppies in it ( 4 female + 2 male ). Going to try my hand at breeding them so I can feed my Channa live fish and save money on not buying bloodworms.

My snakeheads are getting close to their max size already, they won't get too big.


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## OhYesItsMe

Going back to what emc7 said about pacu sorry about being off topic but I didn't know they are tetra and do people really keep them as pets, never seen it. Snakeheads are a problem in the us but it isn't the snakeheads fault, some idiot released them into the wild. They aren't bad fish. I know they like to eat goldfish do they eat larger fish when larger because most pet stores don't sell large goldfish.


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## emc7

Big snakeheads eat big fish like big pikes do. Also bugs and snails and whatever else they can find. Stores don't sell large goldfish or large pacu or large peacock bass. IMO if a store can't keep big ones, it shouldn't sell small ones and refuse to take them back when they get big. Some stores do sell big goldfish, but not most of the chains that sell thousands of small ones.

And we are pretty off topic. Mods may delete my off-topic posts or move to a new thread if they like.

Pacu and piranha are both tetras. There is also a large Mexican tetra that eats mostly cichllds and small tetra. Cichlid, tetra, carp... are each common names for a whole family, each with hundreds or thousands of different related fish.


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