Chitala Lopis - the extinct knifefish in captivity

[Stone Like Fish]

Hey guys,

I see C. Lopis was rediscovered last year in the wild. Are they now being captive bred or are the ones for sale wildcaught?
Cheers,
SLF.

 

[phreeflow]

Check out this thread

The BIG Reveal - Chitala lopis

I’ve been keeping this guy hidden for quite a while, I’m very familiar with its few extant relatives and have been confident in raising this guy. This fish is now considered by many (including IUCN ) to be extinct, but I have acquired a true specimen. I randomly received a message one day...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

SourAngelfish is the Chitala lopis expert around here

 

[FuriousFish]

From my understanding, Chitala taxonomy is really messy and needs to be updated.

 

[SourAngelfish]

Hey guys,

I see C. Lopis was rediscovered last year in the wild. Are they now being captive bred or are the ones for sale wildcaught?
Cheers,
SLF.

They are starting to be farmed but the ones currently offered in the states are wild caught in Thailand where they are unprotected. Thankfully they are plentiful and the whole “extinction” thing was a bit of a mishap(fish were being misidentified). I am hoping to have them breeding here in the states to be able to provide CB individuals for those who wish to keep them. It is still up for debate whether the mainland “lopis” are even truly lopis. If any of the stores in the states offering them are claiming them to be CB, it is simply not true (or atleast not very likely at all), I expect this to change in the next few years.

if you’re on the fence about purchasing one, I wouldn’t let whether it being CB be your deal breaker. They are an extremely popular food fish and are eaten more frequently than collected for the trade, even in areas where they are protected they are still unfortunately eaten frequently.

 

[Stone Like Fish]

C

They are starting to be farmed but the ones currently offered in the states are wild caught in Thailand where they are unprotected. Thankfully they are plentiful and the whole “extinction” thing was a bit of a mishap(fish were being misidentified). I am hoping to have them breeding here in the states to be able to provide CB individuals for those who wish to keep them. It is still up for debate whether the mainland “lopis” are even truly lopis. If any of the stores in the states offering them are claiming them to be CB, it is simply not true (or atleast not very likely at all), I expect this to change in the next few years.

if you’re on the fence about purchasing one, I wouldn’t let whether it being CB be your deal breaker. They are an extremely popular food fish and are eaten more frequently than collected for the trade, even in areas where they are protected they are still unfortunately eaten frequently.

Cant get them here in Aus, unfortunately. But I’m very happy to hear that they’re not extinct like was listed.