If the animal is too large to be swallowed in one piece, the Asian snakehead fish will simply bite large chunks out of it. Keeping Asian snakehead fish with animals smaller than 2/3 of the Snakehead's body should be avoided since it will usually result in the smaller fish ending up as food. Mature Asian snakehead fish are often aggressive and highly territorial and it is therefore often best to keep them alone in their own aquarium. If Asian snakehead fish is not a part of your local fauna, it is very important that you prevent this from happening. Snakeheads can travel long distances on land. If you keep your Asian snakehead fish in an outdoor pond and the water dries out or become unsuitable for the fish, it might simply wiggle its way across your lawn in search of a better home. Keeping them in aquarium without a lid is however unwise, since they are capable jumpers.

Click on each name to find out more about their specific requirements when kept as aquarium fish, temperament, suitable companions, if they have been successfully bred in captivity, and other important facts that every prospecting Snakehead keeper should know.Īs mentioned above, all Asian snakehead fish need access to the surface to survive and this must of course be taken into consideration when you keep them in aquariums or ponds. As a matter of fact, many specimens begin to investigate all dead things, including aquarium decoration, heaters etcetera.īelow your will find a list over various Asian snakehead fish species.

You can train your Asian snakehead fish onto dead food, and as soon as the fish understands that dead things can be tasty it will be very easy to feed. Do not be surprised if your Asian snakehead fish attacks a prey that is larger than half its own size. They are fierce predators and watching them feed can be very entertaining. All Asian snakehead fish species are predators and should be given meaty foods. The biggest Asian snakehead fish species can reach a length of one yard (nearly one meter) and will need a very big aquarium to do well. were the result of someone spontaneously purchasing a few cool Asian snakehead fishes and then eventually releasing them into the wild. It is not implausible that the wild Asian snakehead fish populations found in the U.S. Many aquarists grow tired of their Asian snakehead fish when they realize that they must provide it with larger and larger aquariums, and feed it large amounts of expensive live food. was living in the warm waters of Maryland.īefore you decide to keep an Asian snakehead fish as a pet, you should always research that specific species in order to find out how large it can grow and how much it will cost to feed it. The first wild and breeding Asian snakehead fish population found in the U.S. An Asian snakehead fish needs to surface regularly to breath oxygen from the air and will die if prevented from doing this, e.g. An Asian snakehead fish released into a lake that becomes covered with ice during the winter will die, and many aquarists therefore feel that the Asian snakehead fish should be allowed as a pet in the northern parts of the country. Many aquarists objected to the nation wide ban, since Asian snakehead fish can not survive in the cooler parts of the country. waters, importing live Asian snakehead fish to the U.S. To prevent Asian snakehead fish from being released into U.S. It can also be kept in aquariums, even though it requires a very large tank and plenty of food. Asian snakehead fish is a popular food fish in South East Asia and therefore also common in Asian food markets in the rest of the world.

originated from fish markets and/or aquarists. It is believed that the wild Asian snakehead fish that were found in the U.S. on the North American continent, it could potentially disrupt the ecosystem. The Asian snakehead is a very potent predator and if we allow it to become established outside its native region, e.g. A few years back, the Asian snakehead fish received a lot of media attention since wild and breeding specimens were found in North American waters. Snakeheads are not only native to South East Asia many species have originated on the African continent. They are also known as Frankenfish and Channa fish. The Asian snakehead fish is actually not a single species a lot of different species in the family Channidae are commonly referred to as Asian snakeheads. Asian Snakehead Fish Asian Snakehead Fish

Facts about snakehead fish