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Royal Knifefish

Chitala blanci

Also known as royal clown knifefish, indochina featherback, blanc's knifefish, marbled knifefish, royal featherback, ปลากรายจุด, ปลาตองลาย, belida, ロイヤルナイフ, チタラ・ブランキ, 皇冠七星刀, 七星刀

Royal Knifefish
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A large, laterally compressed knifefish with a humped back and a long anal fin that merges with the tail, its silvery flanks covered in irregular dark stripes and spots rather than the neat eyespots of the clown knifefish. Keepers value it as a striking, slow-moving showpiece that becomes tame enough to hand feed. It is mainly active at dusk and night.

Care at a glance

Care level
Hard
Temperament
Semi
Adult size
60 cm
Temperature
24 to 30 °C
pH
6 to 7.5
Smallest tank
1500 litres
Keep as
Best kept singly; adults are intolerant of their own kind
Diet
Carnivore: live and frozen fish, prawns, earthworms, mussel and chunky meaty foods
Swims
Middle of the tank
Lifespan
10 to 15 years
Water
Freshwater
Wild range
Mekong basin in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam

Breeding

In the wild it spawns on hard surfaces, with the male guarding the eggs. Captive breeding is essentially unknown in home aquariums because of its size.

Good to know

Grows to 60 cm or more and will eat any fish small enough to swallow, so plan for a very large tank. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN and is often confused with the clown knifefish, Chitala ornata.