If you grew up in a Malaysian kampung or semi-urban area, you know the drill. You grab a plastic bottle, you trek to the nearest sawah padi (rice field) or an overgrown longkang (drain), and you hunt for “Ikan Laga.” Back then, they were free toys. Today, they are high-end collectibles. While pet shops are […]
The Return of the “Longkang” Betta Read More »
Most fish swim away from danger. Channa don’t. They launch. If you’ve kept Channa long enough, you’ve probably heard at least one horror story— a sudden thud in the night, a lid slightly open, and a powerful fish lying on the floor the next morning. This isn’t bad luck. This is instinct. Channa jumping is
The Flying Fish: Why Channa Jump Read More »
Introduction So, you want a Channa. You’ve seen the videos on TikTok. You’ve seen the flaring fins, the blue colors, and the way they smash food. You are ready to buy one. Wait. Buying a Channa is not like buying a Guppy. If you buy the wrong Guppy, you lose RM10. If you buy the
The Channa Roadmap: From Zero to Your First “Monster” Read More »
A calm path from curiosity to confident keeper This roadmap is designed for people who: feel drawn to Channa but are overwhelmed by warnings, horror stories, and macho advice want to do things properly, not aggressively STAGE 0 — Before You Buy Anything Mindset First Goal: Decide if Channa is really for you. You must
The Channa Beginner Roadmap Read More »
Most fish die quietly. You miss a water change, the oxygen drops, and one morning they are just… gone. But a Channa survives. This is why beginners often think Channa are “easy” or “bulletproof.” They live through mistakes that would kill tetras, guppies, or even goldfish. But this toughness hides a dangerous misunderstanding. Channa don’t
The Air-Breather Reality: Why Channa Are Not Normal Fish Read More »
When you look at a Goldfish, it looks through you. Its eyes are blank. It is just swimming and existing. But when you look at a Channa (Snakehead), it looks at you. This is the main reason why people get addicted to keeping them. Yes, they have beautiful flowers and colors. But the real hook
The Water Puppy: Why Channa Owners Talk to Their Fish Read More »
It usually happens on a Saturday morning. You are sipping your coffee, staring at your tank, and suddenly you see it—a pair of tiny eyes looking back at you from behind the filter. Congratulations, you are a grandparent. But then, panic sets in. You see the father guppy chasing the baby, trying to eat it.
The Jungle Method: How to Save Guppy Babies Without Stress Read More »
You walk into your local fish shop. You see a tank of beautiful guppies, but the white marker on the glass says something like: “HB Pastel Blue Mosaic Delta.” You look at the price—RM40 for a pair—and you wonder, “What am I actually paying for?” In the guppy world, names follow a specific “code” that
The Guppy Decoder: How to Read Those Confusing Fish Shop Labels Read More »
If you tell a non-fish person that you keep Guppies, they usually laugh. “Oh, the fish that eat mosquitoes in the drain?” But if you show them a tank full of high-grade Moscow Blue or Full Gold Guppies, they stop laughing. They usually say, “Wait, is that real gold?” The Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is often
Tiny Jewels: Why the Humble Guppy is the Most Addictive Fish Read More »
Like many of you, my first fish was a Goldfish. I won it at a funfair (or maybe bought it for RM2 at a shop). I put it in a small round bowl, fed it some flakes, and wondered why it died a few weeks later. I used to think I was just “bad luck”
My Notes on Goldfish: Not Just a Fish in a Bowl Read More »
