# My Snakehead



## cowis (Apr 21, 2010)

I bought this guy/girl early last week and he's/she's slowing settling in and showing more colours each day. Its in a 6o gallon for now and running with no heater or filter (feels weird to me being a cichlid guy lol).


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

If i had it in me to feed fish other fish I would love to have one lol He's pretty cool looking....what kind is it?


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## cowis (Apr 21, 2010)

It will eat worms too and stuff. it was mislabelled at the store so I am not fully sure what kind so I am trying to figure that out lol. Best guess right now is Channa Gachua.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Id feel bad for the worms too lol jk how much was it?


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## cowis (Apr 21, 2010)

I payed 100 but there isn't any more. Altho king eds is trying to get more.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

good to know the price, that totally took away my interest in getting one hahaha nice fish though Peter! Gonna be a beauty Im sure


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## C-kidder (Aug 2, 2014)

Good old "apron" snakehead from king ed's  hehehe. 

Seen him in the tank at king ed's he already has color and looks way better now.


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice , I think your right it looks like something in the gachua family, I like its dark colors ! 

Insects would make a much better diet then fish . I feed mine meal worms, they are easy to breed and the snakeheads love them. I also feed various pellets, they are not picky once settled in, mine will eat anything I drop in the tank.


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## pandamom (Jul 16, 2013)

Do you have to have a special 'permit' or something to buy them? Or do you just have to be known by the owners at King Ed's that you are 'worthy' of having them, since they aren't allowed to be sold in BC? They do incredible damage to the local fish populations if they are 'freed'. I thought that they weren't allowed to be sold at all, but when I googled that, it appears that King Ed's takes in unwanted ones to be resold, but I am curious as to who they deem responsible enough to own one. I don't mean any offence, I am truly curious because of the pets that have been released into local waterways...


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## pandamom (Jul 16, 2013)

From the "Burnaby Now" Newspaper from June 30, 2014....

Common pet turtles and fish - like koi, goldfish and red-eared sliders - are considered invasive species because they are not naturally found in B.C. The animals can cause harm to the ecosystem's delicate balance, because they may have no natural predators to keep their numbers in check and they can compete with native species for food.

Anyone caught releasing a live, invasive species in B.C. waterways can be fined $2,500 to $250,000 on the first conviction. Subsequent convictions can cost between $5,000 to $500,000.

Those penalties were introduced following the snakehead debacle at Burnaby's Central Park pond. Two years ago, someone released an invasive snakehead fish into the pond, which led to a flurry of media coverage and the great snakehead hunt of 2012. Snakeheads are notorious for quickly multiplying and causing havoc on ecosytems with their voracious appetites. The Environment Ministry finally caught the fish, only after draining most of the pond. The incident led to stiffer penalties for releasing invasive species outdoors and a ban on live snakeheads in B.C.

The NOW called Pet Smart in Vancouver, and one of the staff told us that unwanted fish or reptiles can be taken to King Ed Pets or Island Pets, shops with locations in Burnaby. The Pet Smart staff member also said koi and goldfish would survive outside but that people could be fined $2,000 if they were caught dumping fish in local ponds. The same staff member also incorrectly suggested it was OK to dump fish in ponds in Coquitlam and at Simon Fraser University's Burnaby campus.

Island Pets, however, will take fish of all shapes and sizes for resale in the store, and the owner gets a credit to use in the shop. Reptiles are also accepted, provided the shop has a big enough tank for them. Island Pets does not suggest people release their fish outdoors.

King Ed Pets also takes unwanted fish and resells them, but it's rather rare, and manager Ronald Lee said the shop does not recommend dumping fish outdoors. 
- See more at: Don't dump pets in Burnaby ponds, city says - News - Burnaby Now


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Comparing Petsmart Employees to pretty much anyone of the sponsors employees is kind insulting imho lol
I dont think BC has placed bans on all Snakehead species , if any, yet. Though I could be wrong.
There is only really one species that could maybe survive the winter in these waters. Which is the Northern snakehead, same that was released here. I believe out East they are banned and would most likely be the only one banned here if any are.
The problem is indeed to the idiot that would let any Aquarium or non-native fish go in the waters and unfortunately most places isn't going to get too picky on who they sell something to. I personally think maybe having a chip inserted when purchasing, to identify the owner would be a smart idea. But to answer your question, you dont need a permit and in some instances don't even need to know the first thing about fishkeeping to acquire one.
For the sake of *not* seeing this thread stray into a different direction, I am confident to say Peter (Cowis ) is a responsible owner and would never do anything as such.


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