Snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis - Characteristics, habits and care

Channa Bankanensis (Banka) is a small ornamental snakehead fish with eye-catching colors, gentle and peaceful temperament, and sensitive to the water environment.

Channa Bankanensis (Banka) is a species of fish belonging to the Channidae family, with a compact appearance and beautiful colors. It only likes to live in black, quiet alum water with lots of rotten leaves and aquatic plants. This is one of the most popular ornamental snakehead fish species in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market.

To learn more about Channa Bankanensis, please follow the content shared by ornamental snakehead fish below!

Information about snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis :

Origin of snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis

Snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis is also known as Bankan fish.

Channa Bankanensis or Bankan fish, is a species of snakehead fish belonging to the family Channidae, native to Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia (Bankan area), Indonesia and Thailand and some Southeast Asian regions.

This fish species was first discovered in 1981 in BanKan, Sarawak state, Malaysia.

In nature, this fish lives mainly in rivers, streams, small ponds, where the water flow is weak or still, with many rock holes, aquatic bushes and lots of rotten leaves, where they can both forage and hide from enemies.

Currently, in the Vietnamese market, Channa Bankanensis has become popular in the aquarium world thanks to its impressive appearance and ability to adapt to being kept in artificial tanks.

Appearance of snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis

Impressive appearance of a Channa Bankanensis fish.

Right below is the appearance of the Banka fish, please also learn to understand more about this fish species.

• Size : Adult fish are 12 - 25 cm long in the wild, in captivity they can be smaller.
• Shape : Long body, similar to other snakehead fish species.
• Head : Moderate, slightly pointed nose, wide mouth, slightly slanted upwards.
• Color : Brown, yellow, orange or red alternating, with black stripes running from head to tail (light or dark depending on each fish), in addition there are also bright yellow or orange streaks that look very eye-catching.
• Eyes : Large, flexible.
• Dorsal fin : Long, extending from the head to the caudal peduncle, darker in color than the body of the fish.
• Caudal fin : Elongated, helps fish move flexibly.
• Pelvic and anal fins : Well developed, balanced.

Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish behavior

Snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis likes to live in black water environment with lots of aquatic plants.

Channa Bankanensis is a snakehead fish that has a gentler and more shy temperament than other fish in the Channidae family, specifically as follows:

Mild temperament

Compared to many snakeheads in the Channidae family, Channa Bankanensis has a much more docile temperament.

• When young : They are shy and easily panicked, especially when exposed to loud sounds or sudden changes in environment.
• As adults : Slightly territorial but not too extreme, they can live with others in the same space.

Likes to hide, good at camouflage

Channa Bankanensis are very secretive, often burrowing into driftwood, leaf litter or rock crevices, rarely swimming out into open areas unless they feel safe.

Thanks to their unique appearance and skin color that can change according to the environment, they are very good at camouflaging to deceive enemies.

Hunting by stealth

Banka fish do not chase their prey like many other fish species, but they prefer to find a place to hide, lie down and wait for their prey to come near, then suddenly jump out at very high speed to swallow them in the blink of an eye.

Especially after eating, they will become lazy, lying still for hours or even all day without doing anything.

Reproductive behavior

Channa Bankanensis has a special reproductive habit of laying eggs in nests, specifically as follows:

• When the rainy season comes, fish will choose a quiet place with lots of rotten leaves to make their nests.
• After laying eggs, the male and female fish will continuously swim around the nest to protect the eggs and ward off enemies.

Environmental sensitivity

Banka fish are extremely sensitive to changes in their living environment. If the water suddenly changes in temperature, pH, etc., the fish will become stressed and become pale, even stop eating.

They like black water (tea-colored), with lots of tannin from almond leaves and driftwood, and do not like harsh light.

How to raise snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis in artificial tanks

A Channa Bankanensis fish in a tank with plenty of hiding places.

Because Banka fish are very sensitive to changes in their living environment, to be able to raise them in an artificial tank, you need to follow these instructions:

Preparing the tank for Channa Bankanensis

To help Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish adapt quickly to captivity, you need to design an aquarium that meets the following criteria:

• Tank capacity : Minimum 80 - 100 liters for 1 fish, from 150 liters or more if raising many individuals.
• Tank design : Create many hiding places by arranging driftwood, rotten leaf mounds and fake tree roots. The tank substrate can be fine sand or a substrate mixed with many dry leaves such as almond leaves to simulate the natural habitat of the fish.
• LED lights : Choose lights with dim light, do not use strong light because fish are sensitive to light.
• Filtration system : Choose a lightweight filter to create static flow.
• Oxygen aeration : It is best to equip so that the fish can grow best.

Ideal water parameters for Channa Bankanensis

To create a water environment similar to the natural habitat of Channa Bankanensis, the water in your tank needs to meet the following criteria:

• pH: 5.5 - 6.5
• Hardness: Low, below 6 dGH
• Temperature: 24 - 28 degrees Celsius.
• Ammonia, nitrite: Nearly 0.

A little tip: If you want to keep the pH low and help reduce stress in your fish, you can add some dried Indian almond leaves to the tank to create black water, suitable for this fish species!

Diet for Channa Bankanensis fish

Channa Bankanensis is a carnivorous fish with good hunting habits, so in captivity, you can feed them the following foods:

• Small bait fish
• Live or frozen shrimp.
• Insects such as crickets, superworms
• You can practice eating more chopped fish fillets and frozen shrimp.

Feeding frequency :

• Small fish : Eat 1 - 2 times per day
• Adult fish : Eat 1 meal a day or eat 1 day, fast 1 day.

Note : Do not leave leftover food in the tank for a long time to avoid contaminating the water, creating mold and bacteria that are harmful to fish.

What fish should Channa Bankanensis be kept with?

If your tank is small, you should only keep 1 Banka fish alone. If your tank is large, you can keep it in groups, but you should not keep it with smaller fish or aggressive snakehead fish to avoid stressing the fish.

Common problems and how to handle them

Below are some diseases and unusual signs that often occur in Channa Bankanensis fish and how to treat them. Let's find out now!

How much is Channa Bankanensis fish?

Currently, the price of Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish in Vietnam has not been widely announced. Only some online aquarium stores offer prices from 1,300,000 VND/1 fish, which is quite a high price for ornamental snakehead fish.

If you want to know the exact price, please contact reputable stores directly for specific advice!

Image of snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis

Below are the most beautiful moments of the snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis, please enjoy more to understand more about this fish species!

Front view of a snakehead fish Channa Bankanensis.

Image of adult Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish .

Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish is showing off its brilliant beauty in an artificial aquarium.

Through the above article, snakehead.info has shared all the information about Channa Bankanensis snakehead fish , this is a species of ornamental snakehead fish with beautiful colors, likes to live in black water environments and has many interesting habits, very suitable for keeping in freshwater aquariums.

If you want to learn more about the rich world of ornamental snakehead fish, please read other articles in our Blog section!