All fish / Channidae
Limbata Dwarf Snakehead
Channa limbata
Also known as limbata snakehead, red-finned dwarf snakehead, rainbow dwarf snakehead, limbata, channa limbatus, ปลาก้าง, haruan bujuk, bujuk, チャンナ・リンバータ, チャンナ・ガチュア, ikan kerandang, gabus kecil
A small, stocky snakehead with a brown to greenish body, darker blotches and dorsal and anal fins edged in orange or red with white. It is popular with keepers who want snakehead behaviour and character in a manageable tank size.
Care at a glance
- Care level
- Moderate
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Adult size
- 17 cm
- Temperature
- 20 to 26 °C
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Smallest tank
- 100 litres
- Keep as
- Single fish or a bonded pair
- Diet
- Carnivore: earthworms, prawns, mussel, bloodworm, insects and pellets once trained
- Swims
- Bottom of the tank
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Water
- Freshwater
- Wild range
- South and Southeast Asia: northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, southern China, Malaysia and Indonesia
Breeding
It is a paternal mouthbrooder, with the male holding eggs and fry in his mouth after spawning. Breeding happens fairly readily in captivity once a compatible pair forms.
Good to know
Long treated as Channa gachua, and several similar dwarf species are sold under the same names. Keep the tank tightly covered as it jumps, and it will eat smaller tankmates; live snakeheads are banned in some countries, including the USA.
More in Channidae
- African Snakehead Parachanna obscura
- Assam Snakehead Channa stewartii
- Bangka Snakehead Channa bankanensis
- Barca Snakehead Channa barca
- Black snakehead Channa melasoma
- Black-finned Snakehead Channa melanoptera
- Blotched snakehead Channa maculata
- Blue Rainbow Snakehead Channa andrao