Edit Parachanna obscura
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Name
Scientific name
Parachanna obscura
Described by
Not recorded
Family
Channidae
Common names
African snakehead
Photograph credits
All 3 credited
Summary
The African snakehead, Parachanna obscura, is widespread in West Africa from Senegal to Cameroon and ranges inland across the continent to …
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
406mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 38 cm, Minimum depth 38 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 26–30°C, pH 6–7.5
Hardness
5–20dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Predatory
Social needs
Not recorded
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, South Sudan, Gambia
Writing
Etymology
Not written yet
Distribution
This species has a very wide natural distribution through almost every coastal northwest African country, from Senegal at its northernmost point southwards as …
Habitat
Tends to be associated with dense marginal vegetation and swampy lowland floodplains.
Aquarium size
48"38 ∗ 38 cm
Maintenance
Loosely planted tank with floating cover and open areas for swimming.
Water conditions
Temperature: 79-86F (26-30C). Strictly a tropical species. pH: 6.0-7.5 Hardness: 5-20
Diet
Almost exclusively carnivorous, preying on smaller fish and invertebrates in nature. Analyses of the stomach contents of wild fish also revelealed a certain am…
Behaviour and compatibility
Predatory. Do not keep with fish less than 2/3 it's body size as it will view them as food. Suggested tankmates (if any) are similarly sized robust fish such a…
Sexual dimorphism
Females are plumper and larger than males.
Reproduction
Possible but unlikely. Cave-spawners/egg-scatterers.
Notes
This fish is spawned very infrequently in captivity but some reports have been made. Fish are sexually mature from 4" and a pair should be obtained by growing …
References
References
No references