Autor Wątek: Hi from France  (Przeczytany 3838 razy)

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Hi from France
« dnia: 30 Października 2021, 14:13 »
Hi guys,

My name is Cedric, i live in France and i've just discovered your forum while i was doing researchs on Channas.

I have a spare tank for my future Channa, it is a covered tank from Eheim, 130x55x55cm.
I'm currently hesitating between a group of dwarf species in order to have a pair at the end or a solo medium size Channa.

Most of the time i read that having a pair and breeding is the most interesting part of keeping channas. But in the case of breeding you have to find new owners for all the babies and that is what worrying me. I know there is some channa addict in France, but it may be a challenge at each breeding...

I hope you will be able to help me of at least to give your advice on my project

Here is the tank with a temporary set up and missing rocks at the moment.



Thanks in advance

And sorry for speaking english, the only polish word i know are for keeping a dog ^^







Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #1 dnia: 30 Października 2021, 15:48 »
Welcome Cedric on our forum ;D
I know that in France are some channa keepers.
One of them used to keep even channa argus.
I just forgot his name.

Your setup looks good mate :)
With rocks,sand and more hidden places it will be a nice home for snakeheads.

You asking about a species for you.
So the most important question is what kind of temperature you can keep in your tank?
As you maybe know there are subtropical and tropical species.
The best option is to buy a group of 6-8 young snakeheads and let them do the rest.

What kind of species you can get in France?

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #2 dnia: 30 Października 2021, 16:10 »
Hi Peterek,

Indeed there are channa keepers. One of them was quite well known in the hobby, he passed away few years ago. He had a website called Base channa.
Of course there are still other channa keepers, but it's kind of difficult to talk with them. Facebook has killed the good old forums, it is more difficult to exchange...

Rocks are planned in my set up and plants of course, cause i love them.

I am aware for the sub/tropical species yes. The tank is in a moderate tempered room so without heater the temperature should be around 17°C - 18°C. Not less.

In France you can find most of the species online. The fish come from Aquarium Glaser.
For exemple: https://www.aquaterra-diffusion.fr/?product_cat=&s=channa&post_type=product

You can also find them sometimes from private seller.

 

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #3 dnia: 30 Października 2021, 16:23 »
One of them was quite well known in the hobby, he passed away few years ago. He had a website called Base channa.

Yeah I remember him. I spoke to him as well. I think his name was Eric.
Sadly he passsed away :(
On his website were photos of mine some snakeheads.


Rocks are planned in my set up and plants of course, cause i love them.

Sounds great :)


I am aware for the sub/tropical species yes. The tank is in a moderate tempered room so without heater the temperature should be around 17°C - 18°C. Not less.

For some subtropical species this temperature is fine.
For others needs to be lower.
Do you prefer keep tropical or subtropical snakeheads?


In France you can find most of the species online. The fish come from Aquarium Glaser.
For exemple: https://www.aquaterra-diffusion.fr/?product_cat=&s=channa&post_type=product

Very well know online shop.


You can also find them sometimes from private seller.

And what do they have?

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #4 dnia: 30 Października 2021, 16:51 »
Yes Eric, known as xrank on Youtube.


To be honest i don't have any preference between subtropical or Tropical, i am fine to adapt my set up to the spécies  ;)

Since i am looking for Channa i check classified ad, i often see Asiatica, Gachua or Pulchra fry.
Sometimes adult Andrao

I may have a contact for Gachua Blue Bengal or Harcoubutleri

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #5 dnia: 31 Października 2021, 14:19 »
Yes Eric, known as xrank on Youtube.

Yes that is correct.


To be honest i don't have any preference between subtropical or Tropical, i am fine to adapt my set up to the spécies  ;)

There is more subtropical snakeheads than tropical.
For subtropical species you have to do winter period which is making lower temperature for some time and less feeding. With tropical species you can do rainy season if you want.
Tropical fish you can keep in about 22-30c.
Subtropical around 16-24c. For short time the higher temperature is fine but not for too long.


Since i am looking for Channa i check classified ad, i often see Asiatica, Gachua or Pulchra fry.
Sometimes adult Andrao

I may have a contact for Gachua Blue Bengal or Harcoubutleri

The best option for beginners is gachua bengal blue.
Andrao also can be a good choice.
Asiatica and pulchra too aggressive.
True harco i heard is also aggressive.
But many gachua on market are sell as a harco so you need to becareful.

Look at our forum member's amazing setup for gachua bengal blue 8)


xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #6 dnia: 31 Października 2021, 22:10 »
Thanks for the informations!

I keep in mind, Gachua blue Bengal and Andrao!
Do they have the same size? I find différent lenght on internet for the same species...
Is there one species more active than the other?

What about limbata?


Oh yes i know this tank! What an Amazing set up!
I first Saw it on the Facebook group Black water... Then on his youtube Chanel and yesterday i read (After translation) the 8 pages of the topic!  ;D

This tank is ver y inspiring  because i would like to have a natural/biotope look... Not totally biotope because it s too much restrictive for plants choice.
« Ostatnia zmiana: 31 Października 2021, 23:44 wysłana przez xHuskx »

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #7 dnia: 02 Listopada 2021, 19:30 »
I keep in mind, Gachua blue Bengal and Andrao!
Do they have the same size? I find différent lenght on internet for the same species...
Is there one species more active than the other?

Both grow to around 20cm.
Their behavior depends on their setup.
Also every fish behave differently.


What about limbata?

It gets bigger and more nasty.


yesterday i read (After translation) the 8 pages of the topic!  ;D

Thats good.
Keep reading.
It will help you :)

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #8 dnia: 02 Listopada 2021, 20:06 »
Thanks a lot for the help!

I will soon work more on the hardscape in order to put the tank in water.

Then i will have to hunt for the fishes.

;)

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #9 dnia: 07 Listopada 2021, 18:24 »
Good luck mate :)

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #10 dnia: 15 Listopada 2021, 20:55 »
Hey guys!

Here is the aquarium with half of water. (Only the half because i didn t have enough rainwater in stock).
My filter is pre-cycled with old biologic média, so the water is a bit trouble because of the nitrites.

After reflexion on the species i will start with a group of Andrao.
There are several hiding holes between the rocks. I also bought 3 corcks tubes. One will be blocked on the ground and two floating at the surface.

The back ground is fully planted with vallisneria and other species
The middle of the tank is planted with Taiwan nymphea which should make a good visual barrier once grown.

What water parameters should i aim for?
Slight acid could be better for plants...






« Ostatnia zmiana: 15 Listopada 2021, 21:55 wysłana przez xHuskx »

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #11 dnia: 18 Listopada 2021, 20:55 »
Your fish tank looks very good !
I like also because is not full of water.
Fish would be happy in there :)


What water parameters should i aim for?

From here: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/channa-andrao/

Endemic to the Brahmaputra River basin in northeastern India, and officially known only from a swamp in the vicinity of Barobisha town, although collections for the aquarium trade appear to suggest the existence of at least one additional population.

Type locality is ‘India: West Bengal: Jalpaiguri district: Lefraguri swamp, 26°31’N 89°50’E’.

Habitat

Barobisha lies in a zone of subtropical plains between the rivers Raidak and Sangosh, both tributaries of the Brahmaputra which display dramatic seasonal fluctuations in volume and flow.

The area has a humid, tropical climate with short, hot summers from mid-March to mid-June, heavy monsoon rainfall between June and September, and relatively mild winters October to March (average minimum air temperatures 38-45 °C/100.6-113°F during summer to around 15 °C/59 °F in winter), although water temperatures can be cool due to snow-melt runoff from the Himalayas.

In July 2006 the type locality comprised a shallow, silty forest swamp containing turbid water with abundant submerged vegetation. PH was 6.3, conductivity 72 μS·cm, and water temperature 26.9°C.

And here you can see this species's natural habitats 8)
https://forum.channa.club/index.php?topic=464.0



xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #12 dnia: 18 Listopada 2021, 22:50 »
Thanks Peterek!

It's funny... Yesterday i took a look at the conductivity and the result was around 70us...  ::)

I started to look after a shop to find the Andrao and i found wild Andrao and "farmed" Andrao(not sure if it's the correct english word).

What are the pros and cons of wild or farmed one ?
I am a bit confused about that...

Peterek

  • Moderator Globalny
  • Ekspert
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 4676
  • Afryka Dzika
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #13 dnia: 22 Listopada 2021, 19:38 »
It's funny... Yesterday i took a look at the conductivity and the result was around 70us...  ::)

Great :)


What are the pros and cons of wild or farmed one ?
I am a bit confused about that...

Farmed = CB = Captive Bred
Wild = WC = Wild Caught
Wild-caught fish have been taken from their natural habitat, while captive-bred covers any fish bred in captivity, whether that be in a fish farm or a fish tank.

https://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=555

WC fish:

    POSITIVE: WC fish provide the benefit that the specimens you buy will probably not be very closely related to each other, therefore offering you more diverse genetic stock; this is a strong "plus" when considering the health of fry.
    POSITIVE: Since they are wild, you can be confident that the body characters and color patterns they possess are representative of the natural species, as opposed to some manipulated shape or color morph created by humans using selective breeding.
    NEGATIVE: WC fish run the highest risk of being infected with any number of parasites or pathogens (both familiar and exotic), and their health history is completely unknown, so you have big negative wild cards there.
    NEGATIVE: WC fish may require more attention and effort from the fish keeper to help them adapt to captive conditions (e.g., water quality, foods offered, water change routines) and may be more likely to die without the extra care.
    NEGATIVE: For some species, wild populations are under strong environmental pressures for survival (primarily habitat loss and degradation and in rarer cases also over exploitation). Purchasing WC fish creates the demand for additional collecting, thus further stressing wild populations. (On the other hand, there are also positives to this in terms of preserving local populations tied to the economies where the fish are collected).
    NEGATIVE: WC fish are often misidentified by exporters, importers and retailers, meaning you may not get the fish you want. That said, many hobbyists regard this as a POSITIVE because it also means many WC imports will contain "contaminants" of other species mixed together, and the hobbyist can search for unusual or rare species among the more mundane imports.


CB fish:


    POSITIVE: CB fish, if obtained by well managed breeding colonies, come from parents that are well cared for, and thus the offspring you buy are less likely to be disease or parasite-infected (at least with respect to more exotic pathogens; Ich and other common aquarium diseases are still be a concern). Unfortunately, this benefit can easily be lost because CB fish are typically mixed with WC fish during the wholesaling and importing process, exposing CB fish to many other diseases.
    POSITIVE: CB fish are often also less expensive to buy than WC fish, because you don't have to pay for as many middlemen in the supply chain; also, if the fish are healthy, then sellers don't incur as much incidental loss along the path from breeder to retailer, and this helps keeps the price down. This is also more planet-friendly as fewer airmiles may be required to deliver fish to stores.
    POSITIVE: CB fish are usually much better adapted to the types of water conditions found in home aquaria, and readily take prepared foods. This is not universally true, but would be species-specific.
    POSITIVE: One more positive is that by purchasing CB fish, you are reducing the demand for the harvesting of wild fish in their native habitats, which may help their natural populations (but this is debatable, and I won't get into it here).
    POSITIVE: CB fish are more likely to be positively identified (except see below about the potential for interspecific hybrids).
    NEGATIVE: When buying CB fish, especially if you are buying a group of fish from a single source, you must consider the matter of genetic diversity within your group and the possibility that the fish you buy are inbred.
    NEGATIVE: This raises the possibility that your genetically homogenous fish may not have bodies/colours representative of wild fish, and
    NEGATIVE: It raises the risk of genetic defects in future generations, if your fish spawn.
    NEGATIVE: When not properly managed, breeder stock at large commercial fish farms can be contaminated with multiple species of fish; as a result, the farms may be selling interspecific hybrids under the names of well-known species.

For me personally WC is a better choice ;D

xHuskx

  • Nowy użytkownik
  • *
  • Wiadomości: 30
Odp: Hi from France
« Odpowiedź #14 dnia: 22 Listopada 2021, 20:18 »
Thanks Peterek!

Very hard choice for me..

I tend to chose WC fish but i am a bit worried about parasits or pathogens.  :-\
You have to act fast and make the good choice to heal... Don't know if Snakeheads are prone to this kind of problem in géneral