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Encyclopedia / Oddballs & Predators / Dwarf snakehead
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Dwarf snakehead

Channa gachua · Gachua

Territorial and a predator of small fish; keep alone or with robust fish.

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20 cmBody length, without tail ✓
18–28 °CTemperature ✓
6–8pH ✓
243 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Dwarf snakehead eats animals up to about 6 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Dwarf snakehead eats animals up to about 6 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
Not recommended
  • Dwarf snakehead eats animals up to about 6 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric yellow cichlid need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: 7.7–8.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

356 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–20 dGH
Group size ✓2 or more
Temperament ✓Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?All levels
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–8 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Territorial and a predator of small fish; keep alone or with robust fish. A tight lid is needed.

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. gachua 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.

  • cave

Food

Frozen foods, small fish, shrimp and worms.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males usually develop longer dorsal and anal fins and sometimes stronger colour; females grow larger and deeper-bodied, especially when full of eggs.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Mouthbrooder · Hard

Paternal mouthbrooder: the male broods the eggs and fry in his mouth. Bred regularly in captivity; females of some populations lay infertile eggs to feed the free-swimming fry. Do not mix populations.

Pairing

A male and a female in a quiet tank.

Setup

150 L tank with caves, wood and dim lighting.

What starts it

Warm temperatures and live food.

Eggs

About 20-200 eggs per spawning in Indonesian and Malaysian fish, brooded by the male (Indian reports describe batches of 200-300 released at a time). Brooding time not found.

Raising the fry

Fry take baby brine shrimp and microworms.

Common mistakes
  • Putting two males together
  • Escape risk
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth & Southeast Asia – Pakistan & India to Indonesia
HabitatHill streams, ponds and ditches
Native rangeAbout 3,000 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the dwarf snakehead

A small snakehead with a huge range across South and Southeast Asia, popular with snakehead keepers. It is really a complex of similar-looking forms, and keepers keep local populations apart because some hybridise.

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton described this small snakehead in 1822. It is now known to be a group of similar-looking fish, several of which have been described as separate species.

First described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822.

  • Males brood the eggs and young in their mouths.
  • It is one of the smaller snakeheads, usually under 20 cm.
  • Many forms once called C. gachua are now separate species.

Sources

17 facts checked with sources