Channa royi - Snakehead fish endemic to the Indian Ocean

Channa royi (Andaman emerald snakehead), an endemic ornamental snakehead species found only on the Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean, is not yet common in Vietnam.

Channa royi snakehead fish , also known as Andaman emerald snakehead, is an endemic snakehead species found only on the Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean, and is not found naturally in other countries. They have a beautiful green color, a rather ferocious appearance, an aggressive temperament and are highly territorial, sought after by professional aquarium hobbyists.

To learn more about Channa royi, please follow the content shared in the article below of ornamental snakehead fish !

Channa royi snakehead fish information :

Origin and distribution of snakehead fish Channa royi

Channa royi or Andaman emerald snakehead, a newly discovered species of snakehead fish in the family Channidae, is native to the Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean. It is endemic and occurs only in the Andaman Islands and is not found naturally in any other area.

In the wild, they often live in streams and freshwater swamps with slow currents, many aquatic plants and forest canopy cover.

They were only discovered in 2019 because before this fish species was often confused with Channa harcourtbutleri (Burmese snakehead fish), however after analyzing morphological characteristics and mitochondrial DNA sequences, Channa royi was recognized as an independent species.

Because Channa royi only lives in a small geographical area, they are at high risk of being threatened by habitat destruction and overexploitation for the aquarium industry.

Appearance of Channa royi snakehead fish

Channa royi is a fish endemic to the Indian Ocean.

Right below is a detailed description of the appearance of the snakehead fish Channa royi, let's learn together to be able to distinguish them from other fish in the snakehead family.

• Size : About 15 - 20 cm in adult fish in the natural environment
• Shape : Body is long, cylindrical, flattened towards the tail.
• Head : Large, slightly flat, with scales covering the top of the head
• Mouth : Wide, lower jaw slightly protruding.
• Color : The whole body is dark brown, charcoal black, with many small bright white spots on both sides of the body, which can glow under the light, with few patterns but look quite fierce. When stressed or agitated, the fish has a dark color, clear bright spots, when normal, the color is darker, the spots fade.
• Dorsal & anal fins : Long, edged in dark black to charcoal blue.

Behavior of snakehead fish Channa royi

Beautiful appearance of Channa royi fish.

Channa royi is a fairly docile but still territorial snakehead fish. In addition, they also have many interesting habits and behaviors that are completely different from other fish in the Channidae family. Let's find out now!

Territorial, quite aggressive

Like many other snakehead fish, Channa royi is territorial, especially in adulthood. However, compared to larger snakehead fish, they are quite docile and can live in pairs or small groups if the tank is large enough and has plenty of hiding space.

Mainly nocturnal, likes to hide

Unlike some other fish in the snakehead family, Channa royi is usually active only at night and dusk is the best time for them to hunt. During the day, they spend most of their time hiding under aquatic plants, logs or rock caves.

Defensive behavior and interesting interactions

Channa royi has an extremely interesting defensive behavior, when threatened their body color will become darker, their fins will stand up to scare the enemy and then retreat to their hiding place.

When they have territorial disputes with their own kind, they will puff up their gills, extend their fins, and swim in circles to intimidate each other. They rarely bite each other aggressively.

Able to breathe air

Channa royi has an accessory respiratory organ - labyrinth organ, so they can breathe air directly, thanks to which this fish can live in low oxygen environments such as stagnant ponds. In addition, they also often come to the surface of the water to breathe air, especially at night.

How to raise snakehead fish Channa royi from A to Z

Channa royi prefers environments with plenty of shelter, driftwood, and aquatic plants.

If you are a "novice" in raising ornamental snakehead fish, please refer to the detailed instructions on how to raise Channa royi fish that we share below.

Select healthy fish

First of all, you need to choose a healthy fish breed so that they can adapt and develop best. Signs of a healthy Channa royi fish are as follows:

• Fish body is not scratched
• Fish swim flexibly, good reflexes
• Clear color, even light spots

Design of suitable aquarium and living environment

Next, you need to prepare a suitable aquarium and environment, similar to the natural living conditions of Channa royi fish, which must meet the following basic requirements:

• Tank size : Minimum 60 x 30 x 30 cm for one fish, best 90 x 45 x 45 cm or larger if kept in groups.
• Filtration system : Use overflow filter or external membrane filter
• Aerator : Should be available to provide good dissolved oxygen for fish.
• Aquarium decoration : Arrange lots of driftwood, caves, plastic pipes, and plant aquatic plants to create many hiding places for fish. The aquarium floor should be made of fine sand for easy cleaning.
• LED lighting system : Choose a light with low to medium brightness, do not use a light that is too bright because it can stress the fish.

Optimal water parameters for Channa royi fish

For Channa royi to develop well, grow strongly and have beautiful colors, you need to prepare an optimal water environment with the following basic criteria:

• Temperature : 24 - 28 degrees Celsius
• pH : 6.0 - 7.5
• Hardness : 5 - 12 dGH
• Dissolved oxygen : Average, but best above 4 mg/l

What does Channa royi fish eat?

Channa royi is a carnivorous species and has good hunting ability, so when keeping them in the tank you can feed them the following foods:

• Fresh shrimp, baby fish, bloodworms, earthworms, crickets,...
• Frozen shrimp and fish
• Special pellets for Channa line, sinking type

Note :

• Feed fish 1 - 2 times/day, with just enough food to avoid excess.
• Fish should be fasted for one day a week to help them digest better.
• Limit feeding them live bait fish because of the risk of carrying pathogens.

Care and disease prevention for Channa royi fish

To limit Channa royi fish from getting sick or having unusual health problems, you need to pay attention to caring for them and preventing and treating diseases for them, specifically as follows.

Disease prevention :

• Every week, you need to change 20 - 30% of the water in the tank.
• Use dechlorinated water or let it settle for 24 hours.
• Keep temperature and pH stable
• Add more almond leaves and iodine-free salt (0.5 - 1 g/L) when fish are stressed.
• Observe unusual signs in fish for timely treatment.

Abnormal signs and treatment :

Natural fish color stimulation

If you want your fish to have the most beautiful and natural color, follow these instructions:

• Feed the fish lots of chopped live shrimp to stimulate color.
• Maintain soft, stable light
• Add more dry Indian almond leaves or dry leaves, light yellow water

Channa Royi snakehead fish price

Channa royi is not popular in Vietnam.

Channa royi is a snakehead fish endemic to the Andaman Islands - Indian Ocean, so they are not popular in other countries, including Vietnam, so there is currently no exact price for this fish in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market.

If you really want to learn and raise this fish, please contact directly with reputable aquarium stores that sell Channa royi to get the most accurate price information.

Note :

• Currently this type of fish is not popular in Vietnam so you need to choose a reputable store.
• When buying, you need to pay attention to the origin and quality of the fish to ensure you own a healthy fish.

Through the above article, snakehead.info has shared with you details about the origin, habits and care of Channa royi snakehead fish , hoping you have understood more about this fish species! Although they are not popular in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market, they still deserve to be one of the special ornamental snakehead fish species.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section to read more interesting articles about other ornamental snakehead fish species!