Clown knifefish

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
for a very short period of time as a "newborn" fish. These guys get HUGE and you would need something like 180 gallons or larger to hold an adult.
 
This is taken from Badman's tropical fish profiles.

Overview:
  1. Another monster of the hobby, the Clown knife should not be purchased by the casual hobbyist. Reaching huge sizes few people can properly house them and fewer can help them thrive.

Quick stats:
  1. Listed tank sizes are the minimum​

    Size:Up to 40" (100cm)Tank:48 inches (when small)Strata:Bottom, middlePH:5.5 to 7.0Hardness:Soft to medium. dH range: 2-10 Temperature:75°F to 82°F (24-28°C)
Classification:

  1. Order:Osteoglossiformes Suborder:Notopteroidei Family:Notopteridae Genera: Notopterus


Common name:
  1. Clown knife fish, Featherback
Image gallery:
  1. Additional species photographs

Discuss:
  1. Badmans' Forum
Distribution:
  1. Asia, found in India, Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia and Sumatra.
General body form.
  1. Long knifelike bodies. There are two Nasel tentacles above the large, toothed mouth. Six or seven fin rays support the little flag-like Dorsal fin, which is usually located at the center of the body. The center ridge along the belly is distinctly serrated. The fish has no Ventral fins. They can reach a length of two feet
Coloration:
  1. Generally silver, with a Brown tinge. The most striking feature are the circular markings along the middle area of the fish. These circles increase in size and number as the fish grows.
Maintenance:
  1. These fish range in various types of water in their home territories. When they are young they live, communally in large numbers among submerged roots and water plants. They prefer the more peaceful parts of rivers, and can be found in large areas of standing water. They are nocturnal in habit and do not come out until twilight. Adults are territorial and sedentary in habit.
    The aquarium for the knife-fish should be large with a small grained substrate. It should be fairly densely planted with many floating plants. Driftwood is also recommended along with some sort of inert piping for the fish to hide in. The water should be soft, and kept at a temperature of between seventy-five and eighty-two degrees. The pH should be neutral to acid. They are predatory in nature and need to be feed live food ranging from guppies to goldfish. Quality frozen food can be eventually accepted. Although a large and predatory fish the Clown-knife is very timid and any tankmates must be of the same nature and large enough not to be eaten. In general only juvenile specimens are suitable for the home aquarium.
Biotope:
  1. Found in calm, large rivers and backwaters that are overgrown.
Breeding:
  1. Because only young fish are kept and never reach maturity, as far as I can find out they have not been breed in captivity.
 
Yea, I am currently starting a project for a 200 gallon tank. Thanks if I plan on getting one I will wait till my 200 is up.
Thanks for the comments
 
Yeah youll need a larger tank eventually like a 180 or the 200 you mentioned.

By the way, rarely anyone is able to keep one long enough to get to 38. Inches, looking around the biggest youll usually find are 18 or 19 inches.

He'll be fine in that till he's a couple inches short of how deep the tank is. Im guessing its 12" deep?

anyway, you want to upgrade him before he starts having trouble turning around.

Goodluck!
 
they grow pretty fast when they are young and well taken care of. id give that 60 gallons a month or 2.
 
KnifefishFan;4761866; said:
they grow pretty fast when they are young and well taken care of. id give that 60 gallons a month or 2.
Click to expand...

I agree. I am only keeping my two little cks in a 55 gallon until the hit 6 inches or so.
 
kept mine in a 150 for a year and grew from 5" to 15" at present.
 
i love my clown knifefish and was just wondering how long it would live can anyone answer that for me?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom