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Classification.
Common name.
Clown knife fish
Distribution.
Asia, found in India, Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia and
Sumatra.
General body form.
Long knife-like 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.
Gennerally 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.
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 aquariun for the knife-fish should be large with a small grained substrate. It should be fairly densely planted with many floating plants. Drift-wood 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.
Breeding.
Because only young fish are kept and never reach
maturity, as far as I can find out they have not been breed
in captivity.
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