emperor snakehead

Introduction

Morphology

Behaviour & Life cycle

• diet
  carnivorous
• Sociability
  living as a couple or alone
• territorial
  Yes
• Way of living
  diurnal

Reproduction

• Reproduction
  ovipare qui pond sur substrat découvert

Harmless species

Conservation status of populations (IUCN)

Natural environment characteristics

• Temperature
  20 - 25 °C
• pH (acidity)
  4 - 6
• gh (hardness)
  2 - 8
• Flow
  Slow

Biotope presentation

Deontology

Respect for wildlife

In order to preserve wildlife, if you acquire this animal, it must not be released into the wild. See also, the Fishipedia charter.

Fishipedia supports the practice of responsible and environmentally friendly aquarium keeping. We encourage maintenance if it is motivated by a desire to understand the biological functioning of living things and if it is done with respect for animal life.

We believe that aquaristics is an opening to the discovery of aquatic environments, especially freshwater, and that this knowledge is necessary to better protect and respect these environments. Logically, we refute the compulsive purchase of animals that would not find a sufficient and / or adapted place in the host aquarium.

Our recommendations

• Min volume
  1000 liters
• Population min
  1
• Temperature
  20 - 25 °C
• pH (acidity)
  4 - 6

Characteristics

• Difficulty breeding
  very difficult
• Robustness
  tolerant
• Behaviour
  slightly aggressive

General reminders

Before acquiring an animal

It is strongly advised to read the complete dedicated file and to get information on the feedbacks of maintenance of the envisaged animal, this to avoid any potential conflict whose end result is generally the death of the individual (or the other inhabitants). It is important not to overload your aquarium to limit pollution. This will make maintenance easier.

Freshwater conditions

In nature, animals are subject to weather conditions and live in waters with variable characteristics. The recommendations offered by our team for aquarium maintenance are a guidance and cannot be assimilated to scientific datas.

General reminder on maintenance datas

Setting up your aquarium

Le démarrage d'un aquarium est une partie primordiale pour l'équilibre et le bien-être des poissons. Lorsque l'on met en eau un aquarium, l'eau passe naturellement par un cycle biologique : le cycle de l'azote. Celui-ci dure environ trois semaines. Tous les 2 jours, nous vous conseillons de tester votre eau jusqu'à ce que le taux de nitrite soit à zéro pendant plusieurs jours d'affilée.

Pour accélérer ce cycle, vous pouvez utiliser un activateur de bactéries comme JBL Denitrol. Cette solution riche en bactéries vivantes et enzymes permet une mise en place rapide du cycle de l'azote. Les poissons peuvent alors être introduits plus rapidement.

Testing water parameters

Il est important de tester l'eau de son aquarium régulièrement pour maintenir un environnement sain pour les poissons et les autres habitants. Les tests d'eau permettent de mesurer les niveaux de différents paramètres tels que le pH, la dureté totale, ainsi que les taux de nitrates, de nitrites et d'ammoniaque.

Pour réaliser ces tests, vous pouvez utiliser des produits d'analyse spécialisés tels que JBL ProScan qui permet de réaliser un diagnostic de l'eau directement via un smartphone. Il existe également des coffrets de tests plus classiques de bandelettes, comme JBL PROAQUATEST.

Water changes

En cas d’usage de l’eau du robinet, vous pouvez utiliser un conditionneur d’eau de type Biotopol de JBL pour éliminer les substances nocives comme le chlore, le cuivre, le plomb et le zinc. Les conditionneurs d'eau garantissent une meilleure santé aux poissons et une meilleure croissance des plantes.

Precautions to be taken with chlorine

Chlorine and chloramine are dangerous for the health of animals. Used to disinfect water, these agents are present in significant quantities in tap water. We recommend using an anti-chlorine agent every time you change the water. In addition to chlorine, treatments and medicines sold for aquarium use sometimes contain dangerous heavy metals in high doses.

Specific needs for the emperor snakehead

The emperor snakehead is a species which lives naturally at a temperature between 20 °C and 25 °C. For proper maintenance, the temperature should never exceed the 28°C for long periods. Nitrate levels should remain below 50mg/L. To keep the water clean and unpolluted, plan on changing 20% to 30% of the water volume each month.

Maintenance difficulty

The emperor snakehead is a species whose maintenance is rather reserved for informed aquarists . It can only be successfully carried out by carrying out a minimum of documentation work. Special husbandry conditions can easily lead to the death of the species or other animals.

Jumping fish

Be careful, the emperor snakehead is an excellent jumper, naturally using this faculty to change its living area or to escape from predators. The aquarium must be perfectly covered to prevent him from making a deadly jump...

Cohabitation & Environment

This fish being a predatory species, it is recommended to maintain it in a specific environment, without other species. Indeed, any crustacean or fish of lower size will become a potential prey. A 1000 liter aquarium with at least 200 cm of frontage is the minimum recommended for its maintenance. If you still try to associate it with other species, the cohabitants must be of a size at least comparable to the predator in a much larger volume. The aquarium can be provided with many hiding places and a large space to allow each individual to find refuge if necessary.

The species enjoys a particularly vegetation-rich environment. The addition of plants will provide many useful hiding places for resting. These areas are also conducive to possible breeding in the aquarium. Floating plants such as Salvinia can be added to recreate the subdued atmosphere characteristic of its living conditions in the wild.

Acid Water Maintenance

The emperor snakehead living naturally in acidic water, generally in "black" or "sieved" water, the implementation of a filtration on peat is ideal for its balance. Adding decaying leaves and alder fruit can significantly improve living conditions by naturally increasing acidity of some water.

Tips for feeding

The emperor snakehead is carnivorous.

This species can eat dry food (flakes, pellets), fresh food and frozen food. To avoid deficiencies, it is recommended to vary the types of food.

You should not overfeed your residents to avoid polluting the water. For most species, it is better to feed a few small portions each day rather than one large meal.

Reproduction protocol

• Maintenance difficulty
  very hard
• egg-laying protection
  Yes

Hybridization risks

In general, it is advised not to mix several species of the same genus or different varieties of the same species, to avoid the risks of hybridization.

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