Spotted Archerfish
Toxotes chatareus
Brackish South-east Asia
A legendary hunter renowned for shooting precision droplets of water at overhanging terrestrial insects to dislodge them. It sports an arrow-like profile with irregular black blotches. While juveniles endure fresh water, adults require brackish conditions with substantial surface expanse and a tightly secured glass cover.
Also called: Spotted archerfish, Archer fish, Archerfish.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 4 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 25 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 400 L, at least 150 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 60 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 4 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 24 to 30 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 7.2 to 8.4 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 10 to 25, KH 8 to 16 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Medium | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Moderate | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | At least 4, ideally 6 | Kept alone or in small numbers it hides, fades or turns on tankmates. |
| Temperament | Predator | Territorial: weak. |
| Swims in | Upper water | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 10 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Some experience helps | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Jumps | Yes | Keep the tank covered. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Spotted Archerfish is an carnivore that swims in the upper water. It is safe with plants. Give it some cover. It will eat fish small enough to swallow.
Tankmates
Works with
No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.
Avoid
- Yucatan Sailfin Molly
- Figure Eight Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Indian Glassy Fish
- Silver Moony
- Spotted Scat
- African Moony
- Banded Archerfish
- Columbian Shark
- Orange Chromide
- African Mudskipper
- Bumblebee Goby
- Four-Eyed Fish
- Knight Goby
- Ceylon Puffer
- Green Chromide
- Sheepshead Minnow
- Silver Scat
- Banded Lampeye
- Banded Puffer
- Belly Pipefish
- Blueback Blue-Eye
- Green Panchax
- Guyana Leaffish
- Javanese Ricefish
- Mummichog
- Queen of Siam Goby
- Shortfin Molly
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.