Semaprochilodus kneri

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tcav88

Potamotrygon
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Jan 12, 2017
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Getting a couple kneri probably Friday anyone currently keep them? Or have kept them in the past? Looking for info on growth rate and max size, fish base has them at 12”
 
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I'm thinking that growth rate and max size would be similar to most other Semaprochilodus, but frankly I have found the differentiation/ID between different types of Flagtails to be frustratingly confusing -- and have read there is in fact a lot of mis-identification in the hobby with these fish.

I've had (what I think is an S. insignis) for about 10 months now. She (my guess) was about 4" when I got her, now ~10". They grow reasonably fast because they're constantly eating -- arguably the best tank cleaners in the business. And for all they eat, unlike say plecos, they don't seem to poop a whole lot. Awesome fish that usually have a smile on their face, I'm sure you'll dig yours.

Flagtail 3 May 2019 cm.jpg

Insofar as max. size, imho 12" sounds pretty conservative but I'm not sure about S. kneri itself.

Here's a snap I took at my local monster fish shop. The one in background is S. insignis or maybe taeniurus (I think); one in the forefront might be a S. kneri but I'm not sure; it doesn't have black stripes on its yellow tail but maybe they lose them as they get bigger/older?

2 Big Flagtails at LFS.jpg

These guys are easily 14"-16", nearly as big as the pbass. Here's a video I took (and posted on another thread in this sub-forum) if you're interested to watch:

 
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I agree with what Barrett has mentioned about the id of these guys.

From what I understand is kneri is a smaller species of flagtail. I have 2 that I believe are kneri, and I have drawn this conclusion from the spots on the back end. I have had mine for almost a year and it has only grown to roughly 5-6”. So imo 12” max might actually be true.

Maybe Vancouver_98683 Vancouver_98683 can shed some more light here.


D8644002-C755-4960-B0AC-2C5BB7E0F33E.jpeg
 
Sorry Matthew bro but imho I don't think your little guy is a kneri, it looks more like either a taeniurus or maybe even more likely an insignis that hasn't grown enough yet to completely lose its spots. As to why it has grown so little over the last year, that is indeed a mystery, maybe it's just a genetic runt (no offense intended, it's still lovely), I'm not sure.

In fact now I think I might also be wrong about the bigger yellow tailed Flagtail in the video; it might be a kneri but it doesn't have any black spots -- maybe it's a yellow morph insignis (if there is such a thing similar to yellow morph taeniurus).

I just found this page which has good pix that pretty clearly show the difference in appearance between the main members of Semaprochilodus:

Here is a kneri, which the site describes as..."The rarely seen Semaprochilodus Kneri. Shares similiar colouring to yellow morph taeniurus, however black scales stretch from the caudal fin in a line."

kneri.jpg

OP please excuse, we're not trying to hijack your thread, just interesting anecdotal info. Again not sure about kneri max size because there doesn't seem to be much specific info about them out compared to other Flagtails in the hobby. Yes Fishbase says max 27.5 cm / 11" for kneri, but it also says the same for insignus, which for sure isn't accurate.

Btw, as the site mentions 2 Flagtails of similar size may very likely being squaring off quite a bit, but tanks size and age would likely affect this and also not sure if same is true for kneri. Will be interesting to see how yours go, plz keep us updated and look fwd to pix after you get them.
 
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Sorry Matthew bro but imho I don't think your little guy is a kneri, it looks more like either a taeniurus or maybe even more likely an insignis that hasn't grown enough yet to completely lose its spots. As to why it has grown so little over the last year, that is indeed a mystery, maybe it's just a genetic runt (no offense intended, it's still lovely), I'm not sure.

In fact now I think I might also be wrong about the bigger yellow tailed Flagtail in the video; it might be a kneri but it doesn't have any black spots -- maybe it's a yellow morph insignis (if there is such a thing similar to yellow morph taeniurus).

I just found this page which has good pix that pretty clearly show the difference in appearance between the main members of Semaprochilodus:

Here is a kneri, which the site describes as..."The rarely seen Semaprochilodus Kneri. Shares similiar colouring to yellow morph taeniurus, however black scales stretch from the caudal fin in a line."

View attachment 1386035

OP please excuse, we're not trying to hijack your thread, just interesting anecdotal info. Again not sure about kneri max size because there doesn't seem to be much specific info about them out compared to other Flagtails in the hobby. Yes Fishbase says max 27.5 cm / 11" for kneri, but it also says the same for insignus, which for sure isn't accurate.

Btw, as the site mentions 2 Flagtails of similar size may very likely being squaring off quite a bit, but tanks size and age would likely affect this and also not sure if same is true for kneri. Will be interesting to see how yours go, plz keep us updated and look fwd to pix after you get them.
Yes you are correct. I have been mistaken, I should have re looked at the name I chalked mine up to being before answering. Which means I have no useful info for this thread (facepalm). My bad sorry tcav88 tcav88 .

The good news is the kneri will most likely grow much bigger, faster than the taeriunus which means they will be better suited to go with your chichlas.
 
Although there are several other valid names in use, the various Semaprochilodus are all belonging to three recognized species: S. insignis, S. taeniurus and S. kneri.
I believe there is a lot of individual variation in coloration (both black spots and color of the fins) within the 3 taxa, which together with ontogenic changes (yes, they change dramatically from juveniles to adults), makes difficult to ascertain what species we have in our tanks.
Mine was purchased at about 2.5 inches (inset), when it had a lot more black spots than currently. Interestingly the fins did not change much in color, which he exception of the black markings on the dorsal fin, which were more noticeable when the fish was small.
My fish i now a bit shy of 10 inches and has slowed its growth rate, but it continues to grow.
Beautiful fish. I also observe that relative to what they eat (a lot, and anything!), they produce very little visible waste. The opposite of a small pleco, for instance.
Thanks for sharing!

Semaprochilodus_xxDec2017_14Apr2019_COMP.jpg
 
Although there are several other valid names in use, the various Semaprochilodus are all belonging to three recognized species: S. insignis, S. taeniurus and S. kneri.
I believe there is a lot of individual variation in coloration (both black spots and color of the fins) within the 3 taxa, which together with ontogenic changes (yes, they change dramatically from juveniles to adults), makes difficult to ascertain what species we have in our tanks.
Mine was purchased at about 2.5 inches (inset), when it had a lot more black spots than currently. Interestingly the fins did not change much in color, which he exception of the black markings on the dorsal fin, which were more noticeable when the fish was small.
My fish i now a bit shy of 10 inches and has slowed its growth rate, but it continues to grow.
Beautiful fish. I also observe that relative to what they eat (a lot, and anything!), they produce very little visible waste. The opposite of a small pleco, for instance.
Thanks for sharing!

View attachment 1386076
What was the time frame between these 2 pictures, if you don’t mind me asking?
 
Sorry Matthew bro but imho I don't think your little guy is a kneri, it looks more like either a taeniurus or maybe even more likely an insignis that hasn't grown enough yet to completely lose its spots. As to why it has grown so little over the last year, that is indeed a mystery, maybe it's just a genetic runt (no offense intended, it's still lovely), I'm not sure.

In fact now I think I might also be wrong about the bigger yellow tailed Flagtail in the video; it might be a kneri but it doesn't have any black spots -- maybe it's a yellow morph insignis (if there is such a thing similar to yellow morph taeniurus).

I just found this page which has good pix that pretty clearly show the difference in appearance between the main members of Semaprochilodus:

Here is a kneri, which the site describes as..."The rarely seen Semaprochilodus Kneri. Shares similiar colouring to yellow morph taeniurus, however black scales stretch from the caudal fin in a line."

View attachment 1386035

OP please excuse, we're not trying to hijack your thread, just interesting anecdotal info. Again not sure about kneri max size because there doesn't seem to be much specific info about them out compared to other Flagtails in the hobby. Yes Fishbase says max 27.5 cm / 11" for kneri, but it also says the same for insignus, which for sure isn't accurate.

Btw, as the site mentions 2 Flagtails of similar size may very likely being squaring off quite a bit, but tanks size and age would likely affect this and also not sure if same is true for kneri. Will be interesting to see how yours go, plz keep us updated and look fwd to pix after you get them.
Any info is good info def appreciate all the posts. I’ve had insignis in the past and wanted to be different this go round since no one seems to keep them. They’re gonna grow out in different tanks and if they grow big enough will go into two separate 400+g tanks
Yes you are correct. I have been mistaken, I should have re looked at the name I chalked mine up to being before answering. Which means I have no useful info for this thread (facepalm). My bad sorry tcav88 tcav88 .

The good news is the kneri will most likely grow much bigger, faster than the taeriunus which means they will be better suited to go with your chichlas.
all good buddy thanks for trying to help!
Look up the word ‘Jaraqui’ for these flagtails. Lots of wild caught or market photos. Here’s a great video of them caught in nets. Not sure what they’re saying as it’s in Portuguese. May have to do with unlawful fishing practices due to overfishing. Cool video to see.

Awesome video! I saw some videos from Ivan mikolji of them schooling in the wild as well on Facebook.
 
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