Clown knifefish (Chitala chitala)

Scientific name: Chitala chitala Hamilton, 1822

Clown knifefish (Chitala chitala)
Photo: https://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id306275/

The Clown knifefish (Chitala chitala) is a freshwater fish of the family Notopteridae that grows to about 122 cm (48 in). It is moderate to keep, is best kept in a species tank and needs a tank of at least 210 L (55 US gal), water at 24–27°C (75–81°F) and a pH of 5.5–7.0. Native range: Asia, India the Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins.

Clown knifefish care at a glance

Care level
Moderate
Community tank
Not suitable
Adult size
122 cm (48 in)
Minimum tank
210 L (55 US gal)
Temperature
24–27°C (75–81°F)
pH
5.5–7.0
Hardness
2–10 dGH (36–178 ppm)
Diet
Omnivore. Accepts live foods.

Biology

Dorsal spines: 0; Dorsal soft rays: 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 117 - 127. The only species in which subadults and adults have a series of transverse gold or silver bars on the dorsum, but this color feature is not always present. Differs from C. ornata in never having ocellated spots and from C. blanci and C. lopis in never having a black spot on the pectoral fin base.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Chitala chitala
Family
Notopteridae (Featherbacks or knifefishes)
Order
Osteoglossiformes (Bony tongues)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
122
Common length
75.0
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19 demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins in India. No valid records from Irrawaddy, Salween or other river basins of Myanmar. Reports of Chitala chitala from Thailand and Indo-China were based on Chitala ornata and those from Malaysia and Indonesia on Chitala lopis.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Near Threatened (NT)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

More oddballs & predators

See all oddballs & predators

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.

Last updated