New to knife fish - have some questions

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MaineiacJay

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 8, 2014
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So I never really was a knife fish fan, I'm partial to polypterus myself.

However, we got a knife fish in at work (LFS) that was really active and for whatever reason, I really liked it. I bought it and have had it for a couple months or so.

I don't have a whole lot of knowledge on these guys, besides that they get huge and their diet and temperament, since this is stuff I always look at when purchasing a new fish. But when it comes to specific traits, I'm kind of clueless. I was hoping to get answers to some questions.

1. my knife is very light in color, whereas, most of the other clowns are dark grey in color. Is there typically such variation In clowns? What exactly constitutes albino? I generally thought it was a complete lack of melanin (edit: not pigmentation lol) but when I search google, I get results with and without spots.

2. In your experience, what is the total size of captive bred clowns? (i can find a total size online but I'm not sure if it's like polypterus, which differ depending on if they are wild caught or captive bred).

3. What is the typical growth rate? Mine is around 6-7in and is in a 55 gallon, but I just picked up a 90 gallon And am making a 55 gallon sump because I plan to upgrade to 125 gallons as soon as I can find one in my price range. I know I won't be able to keep the fish forever because they need a much larger tank than I can provide, but I want to know about how long I can keep it.

4. Is there a way to tell gender? I generally refer to it as a "he" but it would be nice to know if it is in fact a he or a she.

I think that's it for now! Thanks so much in advanced!

Here is a photo. He is so fast and busy always, it's hard to get a good shot. This is actually a screenshot from a video lol.

Screenshot_2016-01-20-05-04-51.png
 
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I grew one from a baby to 28" and had it for 5 years but had plenty of room to grow. I currently have a small one that grew form 8" to a foot in about 3 months. It may darken up as it gets bigger but clown knife patterns are all different. A 125 will be ok for a year maybe a little longer
 
We have another knife smaller at work that is dark like a typical knife fish, otherwise I would have suspected an age thing.

Thank you for your reply
 
Oh, I think it's a golden clown knife. I didn't realize they had a separate name. That answers that question
 
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