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 »
We call them monsters. We call them predators. But if you ever watch a pair of Channa with their babies, you will see a side of them that is softer than most other fish. I remember fishing near a dam in Perak years ago and seeing a bright red ball of fry on the surface.
My Notes on the Gentle Monster: The Incredible Parenting of Snakeheads Read More »
In my previous note, I introduced the Channa family. But if you hang out in Malaysian fish groups long enough, you will realize that owning a Channa is just the start. There is a whole science (and art) behind keeping them. People don’t just “keep” Channa; they “groom” them. They treat them like bonsai trees,
Deep Dive: Understanding the “Maru” Obsession and the Two Types of Snakeheads Read More »
It’s funny how things change. Growing up in Malaysia, the only time I saw a Snakehead (Ikan Toman or Haruan) was at the market, or maybe in a soup when someone had surgery. It was food. But today, Channa keeping is one of the fastest-growing communities in our hobby. I see people paying RM10,000 for
My Notes on Channa (Snakehead): From “Lauk” to Luxury Read More »
Category: Catfish / Bottom Dwellers Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced (Depending on species) Scientific Name: Hypostomus plecostomus (Common), Loricariidae family (Fancy types) The “Janitor” Myth If you walk into any aquarium shop in Kuala Lumpur or Penang, you will almost certainly see a tank full of dark, armored fish stuck to the glass. To the average
The Plecostomus (From “Ikan Bandaraya” to Exotic Gem) Read More »
We all think we know the Betta fish. It’s the angry, colorful fish that builds a bubble nest and fights anything that moves. But recently, I started reading about the wider Betta genus, and I realized that the fish we keep (Betta splendens) is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s like knowing only the
Beyond the Jar: My Notes on the Wild & Weird World of Bettas Read More »
