Bronze featherback (Notopterus notopterus)

Scientific name: Notopterus notopterus Pallas, 1769

Bronze featherback (Notopterus notopterus)
Photo: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/notopterus-notopterus/

The Bronze featherback (Notopterus notopterus) is a freshwater fish of the family Notopteridae that grows to about 60 cm (24 in). It is moderate to keep and aggressive, is best kept in a species tank and needs a tank of at least 75 L (20 US gal), water at 24–28°C (75–82°F) and a pH of 6.0–6.5. Native range: Southeast Asia, Burma, India, Java, Malaysia, Sumatra and Thailand.

Bronze featherback care at a glance

Care level
Moderate
Temperament
Aggressive
Community tank
Not suitable
Adult size
60 cm (24 in)
Minimum tank
75 L (20 US gal)
Temperature
24–28°C (75–82°F)
pH
6.0–6.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH (36–214 ppm)
Diet
Carnivore

Biology

Found in clear streams and enters brackish waters. Inhabits standing and sluggish waters of lakes, floodplains, canals and ponds. Undertakes localized lateral migrations from the Mekong River to floodplains during the flood season and back to the mainstream or other permanent water bodies during the dry season. Common in tanks throughout the greater parts of India. Feeds on insects, fish, crustaceans and some young roots of aquatic plants. Active during twilight and night. Colonizes and breeds seasonally during rainy days and migrates back to permanent waters in dry season. Breeding takes place in stagnant or running waters in the rainy season. Eggs are laid in small clumps on submerged vegetation. A female measuring 21-25 cm usually lays 1,200-3,000 eggs. The fish is relished b

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Notopterus notopterus
Family
Notopteridae (Featherbacks or knifefishes)
Order
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
60.0
Common length
25.0
Environment
Freshwater; brackish;; pH range: 6.0 - 6.5; dH range: 3 - 8 demersal; potamodromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Krishna, Cauvery, and other river basins in southern India; Irrawaddy, and Salween; Meklong, Chao Phraya, Mekong and virtually all coastal river basins of peninsular Thailand and Malaysia; Sumatra and Java. Has never been reported in Borneo and is not present in the Red River basin of Tonkin.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.

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