FreshwaterBrackish
Bronze featherback
Notopterus notopterus
Notopteridae, Notopterinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 60 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 4,545 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and 4 more countries.
Introduced to Singapore.
More about the species
Description
Found in clear streams and enters brackish waters. Adults inhabit standing and sluggish waters of lakes, floodplains, canals and ponds. Undertake localized lateral migrations from the Mekong River to floodplains during the flood season and back to the mainstream or other permanent water bodies during the dry season. Common in tanks throughout the greater parts of India. Feed on insects, fish, crustaceans and some young roots of aquatic plants. Active during twilight and night. Colonize and breed seasonally during rainy days and migrates back to permanent waters in dry season. Breeding takes place in stagnant or running waters in the rainy season. Eggs are laid in small clumps on submerged vegetation. A female measuring 21-25 cm usually lays 1,200-3,000 eggs. The fish is relished both in fresh and dried state. Soup made from it is reported to be given to people with measles. Of high economic importance as food fish in South and Southeast Asia to Borneo and Sumatra and taken by all types of small-scale fishing gears.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Clupea synura
- Glanis imberbis
- Gymnotus notopterus
- Mystus badgee
- Mystus kapirat
- Notopterus bontianus
In other languages
- Almindelig knivbladfisk
- Pronssiteräkala, Harmaateräkala
- Asiatic knifefish, Common knife fish, Feather back, Grey featherback
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.