Milkfish (Chanos chanos)

Scientific name: Chanos chanos Forssk?l, 1775

Milkfish (Chanos chanos)

The Milkfish (Chanos chanos) is a freshwater fish of the family Chanidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 15–43°C (59–109°F).

Milkfish care at a glance

Temperature
15–43°C (59–109°F)

Biology

Found in offshore marine waters and shallow coastal embayments, but also frequently enter estuaries and occasionally penetrate freshwater streams. A marine species which enters estuaries and rivers. Adults occur in small to large schools near the coasts or around islands where reefs are well developed. Eggs and larvae are pelagic up to 2-3 weeks. Older larvae migrate onshore and settle in coastal wetlands during the juvenile stage, or occasionally enter freshwater lakes. Juveniles and sub-adults return to sea where they mature sexually. Spawn only in fully saline water. Larvae eat zooplankton; juveniles and adults eat cyanobacteria, soft algae, small benthic invertebrates, and even pelagic fish eggs and larvae. Larvae are collected from rivers and are grown in culture ponds into juveniles, which are market

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Chanos chanos
Family
Chanidae (Milkfish)
Order
Gonorynchiformes (Milkfish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
180
Common length
100.0
Depth range
1–30 m (3–98 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous; depth range 1 - 30 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: along continental shelves and around islands, where temperatures are greater than 20?C. Red Sea and South Africa to Hawaii and the Marquesas, north to Japan, south to Victoria, Australia. Eastern Pacific: San Pedro, California to the Galapagos.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: usually
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=4-8; tmax=15; Fec=200,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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