Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead Fish - Habits & How to Raise It to Get Beautiful Color

The Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead (Channa pulchra) is a beautiful predatory fish with bright yellow and orange spots like fireworks, find out more information here.

The Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead (Channa pulchra) is a species of ornamental snakehead fish belonging to the Channidae family, originating from Southeast Asia. They have a brilliant appearance with a dark blue body mixed with metallic gold and yellow and orange spots that create a fireworks effect when swimming, worthy of being one of the most beautiful ornamental snakehead fish species.

If you want to learn how to raise the yellow-spotted fireworks snakehead fish, please refer to detailed information about the origin, care and price shared by ornamental snakehead fish in the article below!

Where does the yellow spotted firework snakehead fish come from?

The yellow spotted firecracker snakehead is native to Myanmar.

The yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish, scientifically known as Channa pulchra, is a freshwater predatory fish of the Channa pulchra family, first found in 2007 in streams and small rivers in Kachin state and northern Myanmar.

Its name "pulchra" is Latin for "beautiful", referring to its colorful appearance. This is a dwarf snakehead strain because it is quite small in size compared to other snakehead species.

Thanks to its eye-catching appearance, the yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish has been widely bred since 2010, becoming popular among ornamental fish in Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Appearance of yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish

The colorful appearance of a yellow spotted firework snakehead fish.

The yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish is small in size but its appearance is extremely outstanding with its colorful colors. Let's learn more about the appearance of this fish!

• Size : On average, adult fish are 20 - 25 cm long, however, some yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish can be over 30 cm long.
• Body : Elongated, flat head like a snake, wide mouth, sharp teeth. Overall, they have the characteristics of the snakehead family Channidae.
• Body color : light blue-gray, with many yellow and orange spots running along the body, in addition there are also tiny black spots distributed throughout the body and on the head. The belly of the fish is lighter in color, usually white or cream yellow.
• Eyes : Large round, with prominent metallic blue rim.
• Dorsal & anal fins : Run from the tail up to the head, are blue-gray with white edges, the anal fin is darker blue. The dorsal fin has several large black spots.
• Pectoral fins : Colorful with alternating black and white patches.
• Caudal fin : Scallop-shaped, with alternating gray and blue colors.
• Fish skin : Has a certain shine, stands out and reflects light to look quite sparkling, they can change color depending on mood and environment.

Behavior of the yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish

Three yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish swim side by side.

The Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead is a predatory fish with interesting habits and many differences compared to other snakehead species. Let's learn about their habits!

Sharp hunting ability

The yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish has very fast reflexes, they always stalk their prey carefully and then suddenly attack, they often hunt small fish, shrimp, worms, and even insects on the water surface. When raising them in a tank, you need time to let them get used to industrial food.

Personality is quite gentle and intelligent

Compared to other ornamental snakehead fish, the yellow spotted firecracker snakehead has a more docile nature, but they still have a high territorial defense when they are adults.

This fish is also very intelligent. If kept for a long time, it can recognize its owner and swim closer when it sees the owner coming. It even reacts to movements outside the tank.

Swimming and living habits

Normally they swim quite slowly and gracefully but will speed up very quickly when catching prey. The fish also like to dig close to the bottom or hover near aquatic plants to hide, sometimes it will rise to the surface of the water to get oxygen. Especially when frightened and stressed, the fish can jump high out of the water.

Territorial behavior

When young, the yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead prefers to live in schools, but as they mature they become more territorial. Males are generally more aggressive than females, and when encountering other fish or strange species they will spread their fins or change color to show off.

Reproductive behavior

In the natural environment, fish breed during the rainy season, they lay eggs and hold them in their mouths until they hatch into fry to protect the eggs from predators. When raising them in tanks, you need to create suitable conditions and shelters so that the fish can reproduce artificially.

Instructions for raising yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish

A yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish is swimming at the bottom of the tank.

To help the yellow spotted firework snakehead fish grow to its maximum size and have beautiful colors, please note the important information about diet and aquarium design that we share below.

What do yellow spotted firecracker snakeheads eat?

As a predatory, gregarious fish, the yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish does not require much food, they can eat fresh food or processed food. Specifically as follows:

• Live food : Small fish, shrimp, prawns, worms, earthworms, grasshoppers, crickets, mosquito larvae,...
• Pellet food : Floating pellets specifically for predatory fish, or fresh meatballs, however, need to be introduced from a young age or mixed with fresh food so that the fish can gradually get used to it.

Note : If you want the yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish to have beautiful colors, you should feed them fresh food, but be careful because these foods can carry pathogens that are dangerous to fish.

Aquarium design suitable for yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish

The Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead is a highly territorial fish that prefers a natural environment with many hiding places. So if you want them to grow well and have beautiful colors, pay attention to the following things when designing the aquarium!

• Size : Minimum 80 x 40 x 40 cm, volume 100L, ideal 120 x 50 x 50 cm, volume 200 - 250 L. Must have a tank lid to prevent fish from jumping out.
• Filtration system : No need for strong flow so can use external filter or overflow filter. If the tank has many aquatic plants, strong aeration is not needed.
• Tank decoration : The tank floor should use small gravel, fine sand with dark color, add more rocks to create artificial caves, plant many aquatic plants and they like an environment with lots of dense trees.
• Light : Use soft, moderate light because fish do not like strong light and to make their colors more beautiful.

Optimal water parameters for raising yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish

The yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish is an adaptable fish, however, for them to grow well and have the most beautiful colors, you need to maintain the following water parameters:

• Water temperature : Ideal 22 - 24 degrees Celsius, because fish like a cool environment.
• pH : 6.8 - 7.2 mild acid to neutral.
• Hardness : 6 - 10 dGH.
• Total dissolved solids in water - TDS : 120 - 200ppm., should use RO water or filtered water.
• Ammonia & Nitrite : 0 ppm.
• Nitrate : < 20 ppm
• Water change : Change 10 - 20% of the buds every week, should use dechlorinated water.

How to release the yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish when you first buy it

When you first buy a yellow-spotted firecracker snakehead fish, you should not immediately release it into the tank, but need to go through the adaptation step to help the fish not get shocked and stressed, leading to illness and possibly death. Please follow these steps:

• Step 1 : Check the water parameters in the tank to see if they meet the requirements in the section above. If it is a new tank, it needs to be filtered for 1-2 weeks for the microorganism system to stabilize and develop.
• Step 2 : Turn off the lights in the aquarium, put the fish bag in the tank for 15 - 30 minutes to help the fish calm down and get used to the temperature in the tank, avoiding thermal shock.
• Step 3 : Add water from the tank to the fish bag every 5 - 10 minutes with about 10 - 20% of the water in the bag. Repeat this process 3 - 4 times.
• Step 4 : Use a net to gently transfer the fish from the bag to the tank.
• Step 5 : Observe the fish condition and let the fish rest for 4 - 6 hours before feeding them.

Common diseases in yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish and how to treat them

The Yellow Spotted Fireworks Snakehead can suffer from a number of diseases due to poor water quality or bacterial contamination. Here are some common diseases and the most effective treatments.

• White fungus disease : Fish appear with small white spots like salt grains causing itching, fish are lethargic and stop eating. You need to increase the water temperature to 30 degrees Celsius for 1 week to kill parasites, if the condition is severe, use antifungal drugs Methylene Blue, Malachite Green.
• Mouth fungus : The fish has white cotton-like patches in its mouth, and the fins are torn and worn away. To treat it, you need to isolate the fish, use antibiotics, or apply Betadine to the wound.

How much is the yellow spotted firework snakehead fish?

Currently, the price of the yellow-spotted fireworks snakehead fish varies greatly depending on its origin, size and appearance. If you want to buy one of these fish, please refer to some of the prices we share below to see if your finances are okay!

• Mini yellow spotted firework snakehead fish size 5 - 8 cm : about 200,000 VND each.
• Fireworks snakehead fish with yellow spots, max size from 18 - 20 cm : About 500,000 VND each.

Q&A about yellow spotted firework snakehead fish

Do yellow spotted firecracker snakeheads need oxygen?

This fish is able to absorb oxygen, but still needs an aeration system to clean the tank.

Can yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish be kept with other fish?

They should not be kept with small fish. If you want to keep them together, you should choose fish of similar or larger size.

Are yellow spotted firecracker snakeheads aggressive?

This fish is quite aggressive, especially when mature. However, compared to other snakehead fish, it is much more docile.

Beautiful yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish image

If you want to see many beautiful moments of the yellow spotted fireworks snakehead fish, don't miss the image collection we share below!

Image of colorful yellow spotted firework snakehead fish.

Fireworks snakehead fish with yellow spots stands out under the light.

A yellow spotted firecracker snakehead fish is swimming gracefully in the water.

The colorful colors of a yellow spotted firework snakehead fish.

Through the article that snakehead.info shares above, we can see that the Golden Spotted Fireworks Snakehead Fish is a breed of ornamental fish with a beautiful, outstanding appearance, special habits and is very popular with ornamental fish players. However, for the fish to grow well and have beautiful colors, you need to pay attention to nutrition and water source.

If you are interested in ornamental snakehead fish, please follow other articles in our Blog section for more interesting information!