Queen Snakehead Fish - Origin, Appearance and Care

Blog | 14/04/2025 by Snakehead

Queen Snakehead Fish (Channa Aurantimaculata), a predatory fish with colorful appearance and yellow and orange stripes, is loved and sought after by Vietnamese aquarium enthusiasts.

Queen Snakehead Fish (Channa Aurantimaculata) is a beautiful and rare breed of ornamental snakehead fish, very famous in the aquarium hobby because of its extremely beautiful color with prominent yellow and orange stripes.

If you want to learn more about this Queen Snakehead fish, please follow the article below of ornamental snakehead fish , we will provide full information about the origin, appearance, habits as well as how to care for this fish from A - Z.

Where does the Queen Snakehead Fish – Channa Aurantimaculata come from?

The Queen Snakehead is a predatory fish of the family Channidae.

The Queen Snakehead Fish, scientifically known as Channa aurantimaculata, is a species of snakehead fish belonging to the Channidae family. It was first found in slow-flowing streams and small rivers in the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India. They prefer freshwater environments with sandy or muddy bottoms, with many hiding places such as tree roots, rocks, fallen leaves, etc.

The word "aurantimaculata" is derived from the Latin word "aurantium", meaning orange, and the word "maculatus" meaning spotted, which together mean the orange spots that this fish has.

Nowadays, this is a fish breed with high economic value and aesthetics, very popular in the aquarium world, especially in the high-end segment.

Shape characteristics of Queen Snakehead fish

The colorful appearance with yellow stripes of a Queen snakehead fish.

True to its name Queen, the Queen snakehead fish is considered to have the most beautiful and impressive appearance in the Channidae family. Let's learn about some of the outstanding features of the shape and color of this fish breed.

Size : When fully grown, Queen snakehead fish can be 30 - 40 cm long, in the natural environment some individuals are even larger.
Body shape : Long, tapered body, flattened on both sides, large, wide head, large mouth, small, strong and sharp teeth.
Fish body color : Mainly dark blue, gray brown or black, with yellow or orange stripes running along the length of the body.
Fish head color : Striped pattern.
Belly color : Lighter than the back and body of the fish.
Eyes : Round, red or orange, looks quite aggressive.
Dorsal & anal fin : Extends from the head to the tail of the fish, the color is a mixture of blue-black with yellow and orange stripes.
Pectoral fins : Scallop-shaped, black mixed with yellow and orange.
Caudal fin : Slightly rounded fan-shaped, brightly colored with striped pattern.

Behavior of Queen Snakehead Fish

Queen Snakehead Fish can live with a mate.

Let's learn about some behaviors related to the personality, activities and reproduction of the Queen Snakehead fish.

Highly territorial

Queen Snakehead Fish are very territorial, especially adults, they never want their space to be invaded and are always ready to attack strangers.

Can live alone or in pairs

They tend to be solitary, but if successfully mated they will get along well with their mate. However, if you have multiple fish you will need a large tank with plenty of hiding places.

Is a typical carnivorous fish

Channa aurantimaculata is a typical carnivorous fish, they are omnivorous, preferring to eat small fish, crustaceans, insects, and even amphibians in the water.

This fish has a very effective way of hunting, it will hide to ambush its prey, when the prey comes close it will rush at a very fast speed and grab the prey in the blink of an eye.

Able to fast for a long time

This fish has a special ability that it can fast for quite a long time, up to several weeks if conditions are not good.

Mouth-brooding reproduction

Queen Snakehead Fish is a fish that lays eggs and incubates them in its mouth. When it is breeding season, the female and male fish will find a safe place to mate. After that, the female fish lays eggs and the male fish will incubate the eggs in its mouth until they hatch.

Adaptable to the environment

Channa aurantimaculata can breathe air, so they can live well in low-oxygen water conditions. However, poor water quality will affect their lifespan and color.

How to take care of Queen Snakehead fish

The super outstanding appearance of a Queen snakehead fish.

If you want to raise a healthy and colorful Queen Snakehead fish, you need to have good knowledge about nutrition, living environment and disease prevention. Specifically, please refer to the following instructions!

What do Queen Snakehead Fish eat?

As a carnivorous, omnivorous fish, they can eat a variety of foods such as:

Fresh food : Small fish, shrimp, prawns, earthworms, earthworms, grasshoppers,...
Pellets : Protein-rich pellets specifically formulated for predatory fish.

Specific food portions are as follows:

Baby Queen Snakehead Fish: Eat 2 times/day.
Adult fish: Feed once a day.
Do not feed too much : Food at once because it can easily pollute the water.

Aquarium design suitable for Queen Snakehead fish

Queen snakehead fish need a large space to grow, so when making a fish tank, you need to pay attention to the following things!

Size : Minimum volume must be 150 - 200 L for juvenile fish, and over 300L for adult fish, at least 1m in length.
Decorate the tank : Create many shelters with fire, rocks, plant many aquatic plants with strong roots such as ferns, anemones,...
Tank cover : Design a sturdy cover because fish can jump high out.
Filtration system : External filtration or overflow filtration.

Water quality suitable for Queen Snakehead fish

Water quality is the most important factor in determining the health and color of the Queen Snakehead fish. You need to maintain the water at the following optimal parameters:

Temperature : 22 - 28 degrees Celsius.
pH : 6.0 - .7.5
Hardness : 5 - 15 dGH.
Ammonia, Nitrate : Always 0 because these are two toxic substances to fish.
Dissolved oxygen : 6 - 8 mg/L.
Chlorine : 0, if using tap water, dechlorinate before adding to the tank.
Water cleaning : Change 30 - 40% of the water in the tank every week.

Some common diseases in Queen snakehead fish and how to treat them

Here are some common diseases in Queen snakehead fish, please learn to know how to recognize and treat them promptly!

Disease name	Reason	Symptom	Treatment
Mushroom	Infection due to dirty water	White spots appear on the body, scales, and fins of the fish. The fish often hits rocks to scratch the itch.	Increase temperature to 30 degrees Celsius for 2-3 days to disinfect, use antifungal medicine.
Sore	Bacteria from food, from fighting with other fish	Ulcers appear	Use antibiotics, clean water.
Indigestion	Overfeeding fish causes poor digestion.	Big belly, fish stop eating, swim slowly	Stop feeding for 1-2 days, add probiotics for fish to have a better digestive system.

How to release Queen snakehead fish when you first buy it

Just like other fish, when you first buy a Queen Snakehead fish, you need time to let it adapt before releasing it into the tank to help prevent it from being shocked. Please refer to the detailed instructions below!

Step 1 : Check the tank system and water quality.
Step 2 : Turn off the lights, float the fish bag on the tank for 10 - 20 minutes to give the fish time to get used to the tank temperature.
Step 3 : Every 5 minutes, dilute the water in the tank into the bag, each time from 20 - 30%, repeat about 4 - 5 times.
Step 4 : Use a fish net to gently catch the fish from the bag and put them in the tank.
Step 5 : After releasing the fish, you need to observe them for the first 1-2 days until they get used to the new environment.

How much is Queen snakehead fish?

Currently, in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market, the price of Queen Snakehead fish fluctuates quite widely because it depends on size, appearance and origin. If you want to buy this ornamental fish, please refer to the price we offer below!

Queen snakehead fish, small size from 10 - 16 cm: 1,500,000 - 1,600,000 VND.
Average size fish from 20 - 22cm : about 2.6 million VND/fish.
Large fish: About 30 - 32 cm: about 4 million VND/fish.
Fish with beautiful patterns and unique colors : Over 8 million VND/fish.

Q&A about Queen Snakehead Fish

How much is a baby Queen Snakehead fish?

The price of baby Queen snakehead fish ranges from 1,500,000 - 3,000,000 VND, depending on color and origin.

What temperature can Queen Snakehead fish live at?

This fish can live in temperatures ranging from 18 - 28 degrees Celsius.

What fish can be kept with Queen Snakehead Fish?

This fish can be raised with other ornamental fish such as flowerhorn fish, horned fish, silver fish, silver fish,...

Beautiful Queen Snakehead Fish Pictures

Please enjoy some more pictures of the Queen Snakehead fish to fully appreciate the mysterious beauty of this uniquely patterned predatory fish.

Close-up of the colorful Queen Snakehead fish.

Queen Snakehead Fish with beautiful appearance.

A Queen Snakehead fish spreading its fins beautifully.

Through the above article, snakehead.info has shared full information about Queen Snakehead fish , one of the ornamental fish species with mysterious and impressive beauty and is highly sought after in the Vietnamese ornamental fish village. If you are passionate about carnivorous fish with personality and beautiful colors, this is a perfect choice.

If you want to learn more about many other beautiful and hot ornamental snakehead fish breeds, don't miss the articles in our Blog section!