Hi, I'm new to this forum. I just bought a 3" Clown Knife and would like to know what to feed it. I asked the local pet store where I bought it from, she said it'll eat pellets or tropical flakes. I really can't tell if the Clown Knife has eaten anything. I have other fishes in the tank also (Goldfishes). I did some research online to see what they ate. I found out they ate: Guppies, Goldfish, cow heart, black worms. I think they will only eat this when they are fully grown. WHAT DO I FEED IT WHEN IT'S ONLY A BABY???? Please help..
Clown Knife in a 29Gal Tank
- Thread starter peterd0404
- Start date
hope this helps
Clown knifefish
Notopterus (Chitala) chitala
Size: Seldom grow bigger than 18" in captivity but be aware that they do have the potential to reach up to 1m or more in length, with a body depth of 15" and over.
Guide price: £6 - £10 for a 5" specimen and up to £80 for a 15-18" fish depending on the markings which are extremely variable.
Aquarium: 48" x 18" x 18" minimum for a single fish and 72" x 24" x 24" for three or four. Dim lighting is preferred with sand as a substrate, perhaps with some smooth boulders; densely-planted, with bogwood and beech branches.
Water parameters: A neutral pH of 7 is fine, with a general hardness of around 8, although neither is critical for the well-being of this species.
Temperature: 78-82°F.
Diet: As babies these fish often refuse to eat anything but live foods such as bloodworm and small fish, but with patience they can be persuaded to take chopped mussel, cockle and whitebait. Smaller specimens (4-6") are best fed twice a day but once they reach 12" or more, two large meals a week with sprats, cod and large garden worms etc. will suffice.
Breeding: Clown knifefish have bred in captivity, but to my knowledge only on a commercial basis - this is because in Thailand they are regarded as a food fish. They lay their eggs between May and July and the male looks after both eggs and brood.
:read: :dance2:
Clown knifefish
Notopterus (Chitala) chitala
Size: Seldom grow bigger than 18" in captivity but be aware that they do have the potential to reach up to 1m or more in length, with a body depth of 15" and over.
Guide price: £6 - £10 for a 5" specimen and up to £80 for a 15-18" fish depending on the markings which are extremely variable.
Aquarium: 48" x 18" x 18" minimum for a single fish and 72" x 24" x 24" for three or four. Dim lighting is preferred with sand as a substrate, perhaps with some smooth boulders; densely-planted, with bogwood and beech branches.
Water parameters: A neutral pH of 7 is fine, with a general hardness of around 8, although neither is critical for the well-being of this species.
Temperature: 78-82°F.
Diet: As babies these fish often refuse to eat anything but live foods such as bloodworm and small fish, but with patience they can be persuaded to take chopped mussel, cockle and whitebait. Smaller specimens (4-6") are best fed twice a day but once they reach 12" or more, two large meals a week with sprats, cod and large garden worms etc. will suffice.
Breeding: Clown knifefish have bred in captivity, but to my knowledge only on a commercial basis - this is because in Thailand they are regarded as a food fish. They lay their eggs between May and July and the male looks after both eggs and brood.
:read: :dance2:
you will need a bigger tank fairly soon.
Also, Goldfish are cold water fish and knifes' are tropical.
What temp. is your tank currently at?
Please read the above post and see if you can't find him/her another home.
Good luck!
Also, Goldfish are cold water fish and knifes' are tropical.
What temp. is your tank currently at?
Please read the above post and see if you can't find him/her another home.
Good luck!
The temp of my tank is currently 72F. I found out their growth potential after I bought the fish. I always wanted to upgrade my tank anyways. Now I have a reason to upgrade once the Clown Knife gets bigger.
I see it will eat blood worms. I have some of those at home. I'll try that this afternoon. And I will feed it twice day.
Thanks for the quick responses.
Peter
I see it will eat blood worms. I have some of those at home. I'll try that this afternoon. And I will feed it twice day.
Thanks for the quick responses.
Peter
i had a ghost knifefish and he use love frozen blooworms. In stead of thawing them in a tiny cup of tank water i use to drop in a frozen chuck and he would come out and attack it. Thrash it around bloodworms went everywhere in teh tank. And what he didnt suck up my other bottom feeders did. It was allot bettter that just throwing in thawed bloodworsm lol
blood worms, black worms, chopped shirmp, krill, some sinking pellets, beef heart, and earth worms will do the trick. Mine eats anything. Also, the above stated that they rarely reach 18" in home aquaria. That's total BS. They should hit 18" in 2 years or less.
oops. Looks like you have two posts for the same topic. I'm going to copy my response here, from your other post.
Brine shrimp would be good for starters...
Here is more information about your Clown Knife that you may find useful. Might want to consider a separate tank with different parameters than the one the Clown Knife is in now. The second link is one of my favorite sites. They have a lot of info about caring for so many different fish and other animals. Enjoy.
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile5.html
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Knife, Clown.htm
Brine shrimp would be good for starters...
Here is more information about your Clown Knife that you may find useful. Might want to consider a separate tank with different parameters than the one the Clown Knife is in now. The second link is one of my favorite sites. They have a lot of info about caring for so many different fish and other animals. Enjoy.
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile5.html
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Knife, Clown.htm
Wow, that looks sick. My wife's not gonna like when I tell her we need a bigger tank about 1 yr from now. I'll just let her fall in love with the Clown Knife first before I break her the bad news. 
I'm gonna feed him some dried blood worms that I have left over from the previous owner of the tank. Maybe i'll cut a small piece of shrimp for him to try also. Thanks again
I'm gonna feed him some dried blood worms that I have left over from the previous owner of the tank. Maybe i'll cut a small piece of shrimp for him to try also. Thanks again