1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Predator; keep alone.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Predator; keep alone. Prone to aggression and jumping.
Check your local laws. US: all live snakeheads (genera Channa and Parachanna, family Channidae) and their viable eggs are injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act (listed 4 Oct 2002, 50 CFR 16.13); importation into the US and interstate transportation or acquisition are prohibited without a USFWS permit. C. barca is named in the list. EU: not checked for this species; Channa argus is the only snakehead in the 2022 additions to the EU invasive-species list. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Not for home aquariums. This fish grows far too big for any home tank. It needs a pond-sized system of thousands of litres, so please don't buy one as a baby.
Fish, prawns, earthworms and large pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
From about 15 cm males develop a longer, more strongly patterned dorsal fin; seen from above, females have a broader head.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-guarder ·
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.
A rare, large snakehead from the Brahmaputra basin of Assam and Nagaland, northeastern India (Bangladesh records doubtful). Adults have numerous black spots on the dorsal fin and flanks and reddish, spot-barred pectoral fins. It is highly prized and very expensive in the hobby.
Buchanan-Hamilton described this snakehead in 1822. Its striking colours and rarity have made it among the most expensive snakeheads in the aquarium trade.
First described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name Channa barca (Hamilton, 1822). A member of the C. gachua group (Britz 2008). Rare and very expensive in the trade; similar-looking fish may be sold under this name.
FishBase: Channa barca summary · Seriously Fish: Channa barcaLegacy has no family. Order Anabantiformes.
FishBase: Channa barca summarySeriously Fish 90 cm SL; FishBase 105 cm TL; Courtenay & Williams 90 cm. Legacy 100 cm sits between and is kept. (Courtenay & Williams quote taken from the PDF text with line-break artefacts removed.)
Seriously Fish: Channa barca · FishBase: Channa barca summary · Courtenay & Williams (2004) Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae): a biological synopsis and risk assessment, USGS Circular 1251Legacy 20-28 °C fits the summer range, but Seriously Fish requires a cool winter period (down to ~10 °C), so the full range is given.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaInside 6.0-8.0.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaNo footprint given ('not recorded'). Legacy 3,000 L not confirmed by a source.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaSeriously Fish's social tag says 'in a pair', but its text warns that even long-term pairs can turn violent; keeping singly (legacy 1) is the safe default.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaSeriously Fish's algorithm gives Moderate, but it needs a very large tank and a seasonal cool period (see traits.homeAquarium).
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaLegacy has no range (story says India and Bangladesh). FishBase includes Bangladesh; Seriously Fish calls that doubtful. IUCN: Data Deficient (2009) per FishBase.
Seriously Fish: Channa barca · FishBase: Channa barca summaryLegacy's longer, more colourful male dorsal is confirmed; the best female cue is head width, not body fullness.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaLegacy 'nest-guarder' is an unconfirmed assumption. (Courtenay & Williams quote taken from the PDF text with line-break artefacts removed.)
Seriously Fish: Channa barca · Courtenay & Williams (2004) Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae): a biological synopsis and risk assessment, USGS Circular 1251Bangladesh corrected to doubtful. 'Juveniles with bold vertical bars and a large eyespot' not confirmed in sources.
Seriously Fish: Channa barcaUS rule cited from the current eCFR text (amended 67 FR 62203, 4 Oct 2002). Many US states also ban possession; state rules, Canada beyond Ontario, and Australia were not checked here. The EU list check is limited to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1203, which added only C. argus among snakeheads; the full current consolidated list was not fetched. UK and other national rules not checked for this species.
eCFR 50 CFR 16.13 (US injurious wildlife: fish) · USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) fact sheetNot one of the four giants named in the brief, but Seriously Fish gives it the same verdict (90 cm SL).
Seriously Fish: Channa barca