1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Predator; best kept alone.
91 species in our list are a good match.
Predator; best kept alone.
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. It is named in the list. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Fish, prawns and large pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-guarder ·
Both parents spawn in open water and the eggs float at the surface; male and female then stay with the fry for an extended period. No nest is built.
A pair in a large tank.
800 L tank with plants and caves.
Warm water and heavy feeding.
Hundreds to thousands of eggs.
Fry feed on plankton then baby brine shrimp.
A widespread Southeast Asian snakehead of forest swamps, slow streams, lakes and ponds, often among plants and sunken wood; an important food fish, sold fresh and often alive.
Georges Cuvier described this snakehead in 1831. Its long, pike-like body gave it the name 'lucius', the old Latin word for pike.
First described by Georges Cuvier in 1831. Named for 'Lucius' recalls the pike, after its long shape.
13 facts checked with sources
C. siamensis is a junior synonym (Musikasinthorn & Taki 2001). Common names: forest, splendid or shiny snakehead (FishBase: Javanese snakehead).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Channa species list (Channa lucius) · FishBase: Channa lucius summary · Seriously Fish: Channa luciusLegacy has no family. Order Anabantiformes.
FishBase: Channa lucius summaryFishBase 53 cm TL; Seriously Fish 40 cm SL (about 48 cm TL with the tail). Larger well-sourced figure used per size rule; legacy 40 cm matches the SL figure.
FishBase: Channa lucius summary · Seriously Fish: Channa luciusLegacy 22-28 °C lies inside Seriously Fish's 20-30 °C.
Seriously Fish: Channa lucius · FishBase: Channa lucius summaryLegacy has no hardness.
Seriously Fish: Channa lucius150 x 60 cm base x 60 cm height = 540 L (Seriously Fish's figure). Legacy 800 L not supported as a minimum.
Seriously Fish: Channa luciusSeriously Fish's social rating is 'best in a pair' with no supporting text; legacy 'best kept alone' not confirmed.
Seriously Fish: Channa luciusNeeds a very large tank.
Seriously Fish: Channa luciusLegacy has no range field.
Seriously Fish: Channa lucius · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Channa species list (Channa lucius)Legacy 'nest-guarder' broadly right (guarded floating eggs), but no nest as such is described.
Seriously Fish: Channa luciusSwamps, rivers and food-fish use confirmed; Indonesia and Thailand specifically were not confirmed as main markets (FishBase's reference is the Cambodian Mekong guide).
FishBase: Channa lucius summary · Seriously Fish: Channa luciusUS rule cited from the current eCFR text (amended 67 FR 62203, 4 Oct 2002). Many US states also ban possession; state rules, EU, UK, Canada and Australia were not checked for this species.
eCFR 50 CFR 16.13 (US injurious wildlife: fish)