Domestication of snakehead (Channa gachua) in the aquarium and introducing it as a native species in the ornamental fish industry

This study was designed with the aim of investigating the possibility of domestication and keeping Channa gachua in captive conditions in aquarium. For this purpose, 42 snakeheads were caught from their natural habitat located in the Kaju River in Sistan and Baluchistan province and transported in bags containing oxygen to the place of study in the ornamental fish research workshop of Islamic Azad University, Babol branch. For domestication in captivity, fishes were placed in seven different treatments (with three repetitions) in terms of tank types and maintenance conditions. During the investigation period, the water quality indices were controlled within the range of the natural biological conditions. The results showed that this fish has the ability to be domesticated and successfully kept in captivity, so that after three to four weeks, the behaviors showed reducing fear and stress. The most suitable conditions for keeping this fish in captivity include a tank volume of more than one hundred liters, the length and width of the tank respectively at least one hundred and forty centimeters, water depth of at least thirty centimeters, soft sand bed, the presence of shelters, water temperature of 24 to 26 degrees Celsius and daily change of 10% of tank water were detected. The fish started feeding on the fifth day after being kept in aquarium conditions, so that the nutritional preference was live baits, followed by sea shrimp. The one-year keeping of this fish without mortality in aquarium conditions showed that this Iranian native fish has the ability to adapt well to the captivity conditions and it can be introduced as a suitable replacement for similar imported non-native species in the ornamental fish industry.