tamra&steven
Aquarium Advice Freak
does anyone have a snakehead in a tank?? i was just wondering what people are keeping with them if any other fish at all??
snakeheads?
- Thread starter tamra&steven
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Erok7620
Aquarium Advice Activist
im new in aquariumland so I have to ask, whats a snakehead?
cogburn
Aquarium Advice Freak
arent they illegal in the u.s.?
tamra&steven
Aquarium Advice Freak
i dont know if they are illegal i dont have one. i just know that they are very mean fish and i wanted to know if anyone had them with other fish. snakeheads are very mean fish, they eat anything, and grow to 1 to 3 feet. they can breath air, and live out of water for a few days. i just wanted to know if anyone has them with other fish.
cogburn
Aquarium Advice Freak
and illegal to import into the u.s.... i have a book on oscars and it has a paragraph about snakeheads... illegal to own or import in the u.s.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
I can't speak for any other state but here is what I found for VA.
Is it illegal to own a snakehead in virginia?
Yes, it is illegal to own one without a permit. In 2002, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries added the snakehead fish to the list of predatory and undesirable exotic species, making it illegal to possess a snakehead fish in Virginia without a permit issued by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Federal regulations enacted in October 2002 prohibit the importation of snakehead fish into the United States and prohibit interstate transport of these animals. Individuals who still own a live snakehead need to contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries immediately for proper disposal of the fish. Effective July 1, 2005, anglers who legally catch a snakehead on hook-and-line may keep the fish to mount or eat providing they:
Is it illegal to own a snakehead in virginia?
Yes, it is illegal to own one without a permit. In 2002, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries added the snakehead fish to the list of predatory and undesirable exotic species, making it illegal to possess a snakehead fish in Virginia without a permit issued by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Federal regulations enacted in October 2002 prohibit the importation of snakehead fish into the United States and prohibit interstate transport of these animals. Individuals who still own a live snakehead need to contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries immediately for proper disposal of the fish. Effective July 1, 2005, anglers who legally catch a snakehead on hook-and-line may keep the fish to mount or eat providing they:
- immediately kill the fish using one or more of the alternatives listed above and
- notify the Department at the number listed above.
CatatonicBug
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Wow! That must be one NASTY fish!
Skyrmir
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Consider what Ziggy posted in Virginia is about the same down here in Florida, if you have one, kill it. If you catch one, congrats! Now kill it too.
They're living wild down here now, but that's pretty much par for course. I think anything short of a penguin or polar bear set loose in South Florida could carve out a place to live. Ok, the bear might make it...
I haven't seen anyone keep them myself, but you might want to ask this guy: AquaMojo - Cichlid Pictures
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's not so much that they are nasty, it is that they are a VERY invasive species. They are from Asia, and through introduction from likely fish hobbyists like ourselves, they are wiping out many native fish species.
The snakehead was first discovered here in Maryland about 6 years ago and has destroyed all of the native species in a few bodies of water in this area, as well as others around the country.
warped1
Aquarium Advice Freak
They are in Philly too. Some genius set a bunch loose at FDR park -- FDR park, affectionately knowns as "the lakes", is a small park with a few over sized puddles which get stocked with fish - hey, its the best we could do in a city -- anyway these snakeheads successfully wiped out most of the stock and not to mention most of the frogs and lizards.
I do know a couple of jokers who caught them and have them in a tank -- real nasty unsociable critters they are - If they put anything in the tank they kill it - I've watched them attack feeder mice. If they weren't close to the same size I think they would kill each other ---- they are illegal here too
I do know a couple of jokers who caught them and have them in a tank -- real nasty unsociable critters they are - If they put anything in the tank they kill it - I've watched them attack feeder mice. If they weren't close to the same size I think they would kill each other ---- they are illegal here too
tamra&steven
Aquarium Advice Freak
yeah there illegal here as well i just thought some people might have them in a tank just wanted to see if they get along with anything
jibboo
Aquarium Advice Freak
one of the local fish stores around here used to have one in a tank by itself
snakehead caught in Singapore
Giant snakehead
Skyrmir
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Maybe Piranha might work with them. I've seen tanks with large aggressive fish and piranha before. If you get lucky, you end up with a stalemate in aggression. The big fish is too large for the piranha to take down, the piranha are too fast for the big fish.
While I have seen it work, the most likely outcome is a single species tank with an ammonia problem...
While I have seen it work, the most likely outcome is a single species tank with an ammonia problem...
cogburn
Aquarium Advice Freak
how would you do pwc? i sure as shootin wouldnt stick my hand in that tank... might lose a finger...
Piranha would be just expensive food for a snakehead, as the Piranha do sleep. The Channa species are without doubt the toughest freshwater fish around. In '83 I saw a man chopping steaks off the back end of one in a Hong Kong market and it was a good ten or 15 minutes until it decided to die. Apparently, snakeheads are tasty. They are also extremely powerful, as they often burst right through the glass of the tank.
Snakeheads can travel over land during a rainstorm to go to another body of water, and they'll eat anything, even your hand if you get it too close to a big one. And if you think you can keep anything with one, think again. Doesn't matter what it is or how large it is, sooner or later the snakehead will eat it, a piece at a time.
ALL the Channa species are illegal to own or sell in the United States, which is the sensible thing, so its a moot point talking about keeping them.
Dave
Gillie
Aquarium Advice Addict
I had two in a 220 about ten years ago that blew out the side of the tank when my hand brushed against it when I walked by, I was pretty glad to get rid of those things. As for Piranha they are only aggressive when whipped into a frenzy.
cogburn
Aquarium Advice Freak
oddly enough it makes me want one hahaha...
Brucki
Aquarium Advice Newbie
HI,
I have five species of snakeheads in various (by now eight) species tanks.
I have 3 Channa gachua "Henck-variant"
5 channa orientalis" KOttawa Forest variant", 1channa stewartii "sp. himalaya -variant"
about 30 Channa sp. Assam (or lal cheng),and 10 channa pulchra.
I will post some pics the next days.
Regards Brucki
here some pics:
I have five species of snakeheads in various (by now eight) species tanks.
I have 3 Channa gachua "Henck-variant"
5 channa orientalis" KOttawa Forest variant", 1channa stewartii "sp. himalaya -variant"
about 30 Channa sp. Assam (or lal cheng),and 10 channa pulchra.
I will post some pics the next days.
Regards Brucki
here some pics:
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