The Queen Snakehead fish is breathtakingly beautiful.

Although only recently introduced to Vietnam, the Queen Snakehead (also known as the Queen of Snakeheads, with the English name Channa aurantimaculata) is captivating fish enthusiasts in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, who are eagerly seeking to acquire it.

The queen of snakehead fish captivates collectors. A close-up of this 70cm queen snakehead, originating from India, reveals it to be one of the largest and rarest fish, fetching prices up to thousands of dollars per fish. According to Ken Tran, fish of this size are extremely rare; even wealthy collectors willing to pay high prices find it difficult to acquire one.

According to Ken Tran, the owner of an ornamental snakehead fish shop in Dong Nai province, he imported this species from Singapore and Thailand two years ago. Although the price is not too high, averaging from 1 to around 4 million VND per fish depending on size, this species has a unique beauty that makes it very popular among fish enthusiasts in cities.

According to Ken Tran, the queen snakehead differs from the emperor snakehead in color. While the emperor snakehead's main color is green or blue, the queen snakehead's main color is yellow. Additionally, the emperor snakehead's tail is orange-red, while the queen snakehead lacks this coloration.

Queen fish have a distinctive yellow color.

"Regarding habitat and food, these two fish species are the same; they both live in water with temperatures ranging from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius, and when raised in tanks, they don't require frequent water changes like other fish species, so it's very easy," shared Ken Tran.

A pair of queen fish frolic and swim playfully in the aquarium at Ken Tran's shop.

According to Mr. Trong Minh, a shop owner selling ornamental snakehead fish in Hanoi, he currently sells many types of ornamental snakehead fish, including queen and emperor varieties. “Currently, queen snakehead fish are the best-selling; some weeks I sell dozens of queen snakehead fish in various sizes. For example, fish measuring 18-20cm cost 1.5 million VND/fish, while those measuring 28-30cm cost over 2.5 million VND/fish,” Mr. Minh revealed.

Queen snakehead fish are very friendly; players can catch and play with them to their heart's content.

Minh added that the queen fish has a distinctive yellow color and is very gentle and friendly, which is why fish enthusiasts are "obsessed" with buying them to raise.

According to Ken Tran, investing in raising queen snakehead fish is not too expensive; for just 5 to 10 million VND, hobbyists can have a beautiful fish tank.

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