Red Snakehead

[FishStarter89]

Has anybody here ever kept one or known someone who has? What was your/their experience with it? I'm not really interested in getting one. I was just reading about it and I'm curious as to what experiences people have had with this scary fish.

 

[mgamer20o0]

its not really scary. never had one. you cant legally own one.

 

[FishStarter89]

its not really scary. never had one. you cant legally own one.

It's legal where I live (Tennessee) and my LFS is even carrying a full grown male right now. I haven't gotten a chance to ask him about it yet though.

 

[mgamer20o0]

The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, transportation, and acquisition of wildlife species deemed to be "injurious" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The following fish and invertebrate species are considered to be injurious under the Act:

(2) The importation, transportation, or acquisition of any of the species listed in this paragraph is prohibited except as provided under the terms and conditions set forth in Sec. 16.22:

(i) Live fish or viable eggs of walking catfish, family Clariidae;
(ii) Live mitten crabs, genus Eriocheir, or their viable eggs;
(iii) Live mollusks, veligers, or viable eggs of zebra mussels, genus Dreissena;
(iv) Any live fish or viable eggs of snakehead fishes of the genera Channa and Parachanna (or their generic synonyms of Bostrychoides, Ophicephalus, Ophiocephalus, and Parophiocephalus) of the Family Channidae, including but not limited to:
(A) Channa amphibeus (Chel or Borna snakehead).
(B ) Channa argus (Northern or Amur snakehead).
( C) Channa asiatica (Chinese or Northern Green snakehead).
(D) Channa aurantimaculata.
(E) Channa bankanensis (Bangka snakehead).
(F) Channa baramensis (Baram snakehead).
(G) Channa barca (barca or tiger snakehead).
(H) Channa bleheri (rainbow or jewel snakehead).
(I) Channa cyanospilos (bluespotted snakehead).
(J) Channa gachua (dwarf, gaucha, or frog snakehead).
(K) Channa harcourtbutleri (Inle snakehead).
(L) Channa lucius (shiny or splendid snakehead).
(M) Channa maculata (blotched snakehead).
(N) Channa marulius (bullseye, murrel, Indian, great, or cobra snakehead).
(O) Channa maruloides (emperor snakehead).
(P) Channa melanoptera.
(Q) Channa melasoma (black snakehead).
( R) Channa micropeltes (giant, red, or redline snakehead).
(S) Channa nox.
(T) Channa orientalis (Ceylon or Ceylonese Green snakehead).
(U) Channa panaw.
(V) Channa pleurophthalmus (ocellated, spotted, or eyespot snakehead).
(W) Channa punctata (dotted or spotted snakehead).
(X) Channa stewartii (golden snakehead).
(Y) Channa striata (chevron or striped snakehead).
(Z) Parachanna africana (Niger or African snakehead).
(AA) Parachanna insignis (Congo, square-spotted African or light African snakehead).
(BB) Parachanna obscura (dark African, dusky, or square-spotted snakehead).

Source: 50 Code of Federal Regulations §16.13.

you sure its a snakehead? maybe he just calling it that? its a federal law since 2005. its even illegal to catch them and throw them back in the wild.

 

[timwag2001]

it's def illegal to have them but i think that there is somekind of loophole in the law, may be if you had it pre-ban or something. there was a bait and tackle shop that had one on display up here in massachusetts. i cant remember what happened to it though.

 

[bs6749]

No loop holes. It's illegal to purchase, sell, distribute, own, transport in the U.S. You get caught with one and you are looking at tens of thousands of dollars in fines. One market was fined several hundred thousand dollars for selling over $25,000 of them. Kinda a loss if you ask me.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I've seen people having tons of videos of snakeheads in home-aquariums. They must not be scared that people will catch them or something. I was looking into getting some, but I don't think it would be smart. They are very cool very though, if you ask me.

 

[mgamer20o0]

but thats the internet really dont know where the person is from. they are legal in canada.

 

[lionheart]

i live in uk and about 20 years ago i kept 3 snakeheads in a small tank they were the most agressive aquatic animal i av ever come across,they were the equivlant to a group of piranha except these snakeheads were in my eyes more dangerous as they could shred a fish or anythink else that went into the tank in seconds they literally use to grab the prey n twizzle round in a circlular motion and the shreaded skeleton of the prey would sink to the bottom of the tank in seconds ,dont no bout the above threads saying they are illegal to keep as like i say this was many years ago, but facinating creatures to keep, unfortunatley my life took me away from my hobby n i gave up keeping aquariums but i have often wondered about those snakeheads i once kept,i did enquire a few years back in a aquatic shop about snakeheads but the assistant just looked at me dumbfounded and said sorry m8t ive never heard of em,so to see this thread was very exciting as its the first ive seen regarding snakeheads,anyway i hope u have fasinating times watching your snakehead, i have neva seen a aquatic animal quite as agressive or dangerous,

 

[timwag2001]

i'm gonna go back to the bait and tackle shop that i was at and ask him what the story was with his. i know its not there anymore.

 

[BillD]

While it may be legal to have them here, interest in them has died off. I think the stores got tired of having them come back to the store when thy got too big. Unless you are some kind of gore fiend, their charm would wear off quickly. There is a dwarf variety that may be of more interest, but the rest get too big.

 

[darkmule27]

Snakeheads are illegal and, as someone who lives near where the snakeheads have become a huge problem, it is with a very good reason. They have become a very big problem as an invasive species. They get very large very quickly, are very aggressive (both of which are big problems with owners and caused many to be released, starting the problem), and apparently thrive in the climate around here. There's even been whispers of a completely new species evolving around here...not sure how true it is, though.

However, it is not COMPLETELY illegal to own a snakehead. Snakehead FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) states that it is legal to own a snakehead with a permit (which honestly surprises me since this is basically the epicenter of the snakehead problem!). However, Finding Of Snakehead Fish Worries Memphis does state that it is illegal to own a snakehead in Tennessee. It is illegal to catch and NOT kill a snakehead, though.

For a more updated news article about snakeheads: Washington Times - Snakeheads everywhere It gives a really interesting, more updated take on the snakehead problem. Not enough to change my opinion, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[mgamer20o0]

The federal Lacey Act put the breaks on snakeheads throughout the US and its' territories. They're illegal to acquire, sell, transport over state lines, or own without a permit. There are NO permits for private owners. Permits are issued to institutions only.

so only zoos or aquariums can have them basically what it comes down to. its the same with rays here only way you can legally have them is with a permit and there is only one person in the state with the permit. he is a breeder and a expert.

 

[cwt]

for the original poster: you can see some snakehead videos on YouTube if you search for 'snakehead'. Saw one with a bass in the same tank, not very enjoyable.

 

[Copepod]

We had one over 20 years ago...they can survive out of water for a while..ours kept escaping and I would come home from work to find it in a corner a good 20 feet away from the tank. We got it from the place called House of Tropicals that had one on display that you could buy feeder fish and give to. They are very quick as the above post said, and we took it back after a couple of weeks...not a nice community fish for sure.

 

[FishStarter89]

However, Finding Of Snakehead Fish Worries Memphis does state that it is illegal to own a snakehead in Tennessee. It is illegal to catch and NOT kill a snakehead, though.

I stand corrected. Sorry for the misinformation, folks. I was told otherwise and probably shouldn't have repeated the information without first checking for myself. Anyways, the LFS that has the Snakehead must obviously be breaking the law but it's not my place to say whether it's right or wrong. As long as it doesn't end up in a local pond or river and the seller is aware of the legal risks of keeping such a fish then I don't see a problem. I still intend on asking him about it because I am interested in the species...just not to own, obviously for legal and practical reasons.