Not recorded in captivity or described from the wild. Seriously Fish thinks it is probably a mouthbrooder (it belongs to the C. gachua group); older literature merely assumes nest-guarding with floating eggs.
A mature pair in a large pond.
Pond or huge tank.
Seasonal warmth and heavy feeding.
Hundreds to thousands of eggs.
Fry feed on plankton then small fish.
One breeding tank for the barca snakehead, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 10–28 °C · pH 6–7.5
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 100 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A rack of breeding and grow-out tanks.
The breeding guide gives no tank size for the barca snakehead yet, so a business layout can't be drawn.
From about 15 cm males develop a longer, more strongly patterned dorsal fin; seen from above, females have a broader head.
Typical for open substrate spawners
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.
Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.
Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.
Move fry to a grow-out tank before the parents spawn again.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.