Blue snakehead

Care at a glance

Overview

A true dwarf at roughly 14 cm, it suits a well-planted tank of at least 110 litres with a tight lid. It prefers cooler water at 15 to 25 C with a winter cool period, and soft, slightly acidic conditions around pH 5.5 to 7.0. It can be kept as a bonded pair or a group given space and cover. Feed small meaty foods such as bloodworm, prawn pieces and insect larvae.

In the wild

The blue snakehead is one of the smallest members of the genus, a slim fish that shows blue and orange in the fins when mature. It was described only recently from marsh habitat in northeast India. It hangs in midwater among plants and surfaces to breathe air.

Good to know

Channa andrao was formally described in 2013 from the Lefraguri swamp and is closely related to the rainbow snakehead. It is a paternal mouthbrooder, with the male holding the eggs and fry in his mouth for around nine days. Adults stay around 12 to 14 cm, among the smallest of all snakeheads.

Did you know

Once the fry are free-swimming, the parents feed them on batches of unfertilised eggs, an unusual form of parental care among fishes.

Related species

• 

  Rainbow snakehead

  Channa bleheri

  7.9 in (20 cm)42 gal (160 L)59–77°F (15–25°C)

• 

  Ocellated snakehead

  Channa pleurophthalma

  15.7 in (40 cm)70 gal (265 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Peacock snakehead

  Channa pulchra

  11.8 in (30 cm)74 gal (280 L)61–79°F (16–26°C)

• 

  Orange-spotted snakehead

  Channa aurantimaculata

  15.7 in (40 cm)119 gal (450 L)59–77°F (15–25°C)

• 

  Dwarf snakehead

  Channa gachua

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)

• 

  Giant snakehead

  Channa micropeltes

  39.4 in (100 cm)528 gal (2,000 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)