Rainbow snakehead

Care at a glance

Overview

A manageable snakehead at around 20 cm, it can live in a tank of at least 160 litres with a very tight lid, as all snakeheads jump and can breathe air. It comes from subtropical streams, so keep it cooler at 15 to 25 C with a seasonal dip, and pH 6.0 to 7.5. It can be kept as a pair or small group in a well-planted tank with dither fish too large to eat. Feed prawns, earthworms, insects and other meaty foods.

In the wild

The rainbow snakehead is a small, colourful dwarf snakehead marked with orange, blue and red on the flanks and fins. It comes from cool hill streams and spends much of its time hovering among plants and wood. It is an air-breather that surfaces regularly for a gulp of air.

Good to know

Channa bleheri is one of the true dwarf snakeheads, staying under about 20 cm. Unlike most snakeheads it does not mouthbrood; the pair guard a raft of floating eggs and the fry at the surface. It also lacks pelvic fins, a feature shared with only a few close relatives.

Did you know

Rainbow snakeheads can survive brief spells out of water and will wriggle overland between pools, so an escape-proof lid is not optional.

Related species

• 

  Blue snakehead

  Channa andrao

  5.5 in (14 cm)29 gal (110 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)

• 

  Dwarf snakehead

  Channa gachua

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

• 

  Orange-spotted snakehead

  Channa aurantimaculata

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

• 

  Giant snakehead

  Channa micropeltes

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