FACTS ABOUT SNAKEHEAD FISH FULL

It’s also important to include various areas in the tank where your Snakehead can seek shelter, especially if there are multiple Snakeheads in the tank. In fact, Giant Snakeheads can live on land for up to 4 consecutive days.īecause of this, you will need to leave a decent gap between the surface of the water and the lid of the aquarium so that your Snakehead can come to the surface to breathe.

Something many new fish-keepers don’t know about Giant Snakeheads is that they need to breathe in oxygen directly from the air as well as from the water. In terms of temperature, you should keep the water in your Giant Snakehead’s tank between 75 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The optimal range is somewhere between 5 and 7 on the pH scale. Your Giant Snakehead will need water that ranges from neutral to acidic. The pH of the water is also an important factor to consider. Therefore, the first step in creating the ideal environment for a Giant Snakehead is to ensure that all water in the tank is fresh. Giant Snakeheads are freshwater fish, which means that they cannot live in saltwater. Additionally, there is typically more potential for aggression between two male Giant Snakeheads, which could cause problems for your tank dynamic. When making this decision, you should bear in mind that the females of the species grow larger than the males, which will require a larger tank. However, this then begs the question of whether you will house two males or two females together.

FACTS ABOUT SNAKEHEAD FISH FULL

This is definitely the best choice if you don’t want to run the risk of reproduction in your already full tank. While this might seem like a safer option than introducing an entirely different species into the aquarium, there are still several considerations that will need to be made before you take this step.įirst, you should think about whether to home two Giant Snakeheads of the same sex together or not. Of course, you also have the option (presuming you can find a large enough tank, which is unlikely if you’re not a public aquarium owner) of keeping more than one Giant Snakehead in the same tank. Medium-to-large-sized fish such as Koi fish and Carp usually make the best tank mates for Giant Snakeheads.

You will also need to introduce the tank mate to the aquarium at the same time as the Snakehead so that the Snakehead doesn’t attack the new tank mate territorially. If you want to introduce a companion to your Giant Snakehead, you should choose a fish of a similar size (which, of course, will mean that you’ll need to significantly increase your aquarium size). Giant Snakeheads are natural predators due to their superior size, which means that finding appropriate tank mates for this fish can be tricky.įor obvious reasons, you shouldn’t put very small fish with limited defensive abilities in the same tank as a Giant Snakehead. That’s why, in most cases, you won’t find Giant Snakeheads outside of public aquariums: for the majority of fish owners, keeping a single fish in a 4 to 6-meter aquarium simply isn’t practical or space-efficient. You’ll also need to bear in mind that, if you choose to introduce any tank mates into the aquarium (see below), your aquarium will need to be even larger. Anything smaller than this simply will not be sufficient to accommodate a fully grown Giant Snakehead comfortably. The minimum size you should consider for a Giant Snakehead aquarium is 13 feet in length, which is equivalent to approximately 4 meters. Given the very large size of the Giant Snakehead when fully grown (a maximum of 4.9 feet), you will need the largest aquarium you can get your hands on outside of the commercial fish-keeping industry. If you’re considering bringing home a Giant Snakehead, the first step in your preparations should be to invest in a tank of the correct size. It also exists in an invasive capacity in other countries.Ĭaring for a Giant Snakehead is a demanding task that will cost you both time and money, so it’s important to be prepared and fully informed going into the process. This fish species can be found distributed across bodies of fresh water in Southeast Asia.

Facts about snakehead fish