Freshwater
Clown featherback
Chitala ornata
Notopteridae, Notopterinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 100 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 21,000 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Introduced to Hong Kong SAR China, Philippines, and Singapore.
More about the species
Description
Inhabits flowing waters of large and medium-sized rivers. Within the Mekong mainstream, it occurs in pools. Found in the basin-wide mainstream of the lower Mekong. A predator on surface-feeding fishes, crustaceans and insects, with a crepuscular or nocturnal activity pattern. Moves into inundated forest during the high water period from June to October. Individuals from the Great Lake are shipped to markets in Thailand.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Chitara ornata
- Notopterus buchanani
- Notopterus chitala
- Notopterus ocellifer
- Notopterus ornatus
In other languages
- Sydøstasiatisk knivbladfisk
- Koruteräkala
- Clown featherback fish, Clown knifefish, Ocellated Featherback, Spotted knifefish
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.