SOS

[altaaf]

hi,

i just bought 2 clown-jacknifefish. I have no idea what they eat, i've tried bloodworm and tetra-prima. they are still quite small, so i can't feed em live fish.

any help?

[jaydoc]

Knife fish usually prefer live food. Even if small, you will be surpriseds what they can fit in their mouth! Try baby guppies. What were they being fed by the person you bought them from?
Cary

[Rob]

Jaydoc is right about their mouths, they hinge at the bottom and can take food twice as large as their mouths appear to take.
I have a young adult Clown Knife that is about 18". I feed him HBH meat lovers flake, soft & moist w/krill pellets, and live guppies/platys every few days.
Don't buy feeders at a pet store, they are raised and kept in very poor conditions and can introduce some nasty diseases to your fish.
I have 3 - 15gal tanks of guppies and platys that I use to keep my more carniverous fish happy, with these 3 tanks I am able to pull about 40-50 feeders out a week and still maintain the population.
Bear in mind the Clown Knife can reach over 3 feet (100cm) in length. Mine is in a 220gal tank and in the next year or two I will need a larger tank to house him.
Here's a link to the Master Index of Freshwater Fish's profile on the clown knife: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=27034