Milkfish is the common name for the Chanidae family. It has an elongated, moderately compressed, smooth, streamlined, and silvery coloured body. The caudal fin of a milkfish is large and deeply forked. Its eyes are covered with adipose tissue. Its mouth is small, terminal, and without teeth. It also lacks a bony gular plate between arms of lower jaw like the tenpounders.
Milkfish is found in the Indian and tropical Pacific oceans in area where water temperature is above 20 degree Celsius. There is only one genus and one species worldwide. It is mainly marine but can also live in brackish and fresh water. It normally occurs in small to large school, and feeds on small crustaceans, zooplankton, and juvenile fishes.
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Scientific Name: Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775) English Name: Milkfish, Bangos Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 虱目鱼 (Shī mù yú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Susu, Bagas, Bandang Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลานวลจันทร์ทะเล (Plā nwlcạnthr̒thale) Main Identification Features: Mouth small, terminal and without teeth. A single dorsal fin about midlevel of body. Caudal fin very large and deeply forked. No scutes along body and no bony gular plate between arms of lower jaw. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with dark margin. Size: Maximum total length about 180 cm, wild adults commonly 70 to 100 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Coastal, estuary and freshwater, 1 to 30 m depth. Feeds on cyanobacteria, soft algae, small benthic invertebrates, and pelagic fish eggs and larvae.  
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