Edit Chitala blanci
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Name
Scientific name
Chitala blanci
Described by
Authority d'Aubenton, Year 1965, Bracketed
Family
Notopteridae
Common names
Royal Featherback
Photograph credits
All 1 credited
Summary
The royal featherback, Chitala blanci, is a very large notopterid endemic to the Mekong drainage in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. A…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
1200mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Not recorded
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 20–28°C, pH 6–8
Hardness
2–15dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
Not recorded
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Mekong, Nam Theun, Songkhram, Srepong, Tonlé Sap, Xe Bang Fai
Writing
Etymology
Chitala: a Bengali vernacular name for members of this genus. blanci: in honour of "friend and colleague M. Blanc, in memory of an especially dangerous fish-co…
Distribution
Endemic to the Mekong river drainage in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, including the Mekong delta region and Tonlé Sap lake system. Type locality is 'B…
Habitat
Mostly recorded from the Mekong main channel and lower parts of certain tributaries, where it displays a preference for rocky habitats such as deep pools and r…
Aquarium size
Suitable only for public installations or the very largest, highly-specialised private aquaria.
Maintenance
Prefers dim lighting and access to refuges in the form of driftwood, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping. A large, mature filter system, rigorous maintena…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
An obligate, typically nocturnal, predator feeding on smaller fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates in nature but in most cases adapting well to dead alt…
Behaviour and compatibility
Relatively peaceful with fishes too large to be considered prey but can be territorial with conspecifics and other similarly-shaped species, especially if spac…
Sexual dimorphism
Unreported.
Reproduction
Unreported in captivity but in nature male individuals contruct nests from branches and leaves and remains to guard the eggs and fry post-spawning, which takes…
Notes
This species is also referred to as 'royal knifefish' in the aquarium trade although it arguably has no place in the ornamental hobby given its adult size and …
References
References
5 on this profile