Red Eye Albino Clown Knifefish (Chitala ornata)

One of the larger species of knifefish, the Clown Knife is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, where it is an important food fish. It is now extensively farm raised for food and for the aquarium trade. The Red Eye Albino color form is a rare line bred variety of the fish that exhibits true red eyes and a light pink body color. A predatory species with a surprisingly large mouth, Clown Knives can easily eat fish up to 1/3rd their size in many cases. Despite their predatory nature, they are peaceful towards nearly all tankmates too big to be eaten.