All fish / Anablepidae

Four-eyed Fish

Anableps anableps

Also known as four eyed fish, four-eye fish, foureyed fish, largescale foureyes, anableps, four eyes, ปลาสี่ตา, ヨツメウオ, ikan mata empat, 四眼鱼

A long, olive to silvery fish with raised bulging eyes split horizontally, so it can see above and below the surface at the same time. It cruises at the surface in groups with the top half of each eye out of the water, which makes it a striking and unusual display fish for large, shallow tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

24 to 30 °C

pH

7 to 8.5

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Carnivore: floating insects, crickets, bloodworm, brine shrimp, small shrimp and floating pellets

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Northern South America: coastal Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas and northern Brazil (Amazon delta)

Breeding

It is a livebearer with internal fertilisation; males have a gonopodium that bends left or right, and females bear small numbers of large young after a long pregnancy. Breeding in home aquariums is rare and hard to achieve.

Good to know

Despite being sold as a freshwater fish, it lives in estuaries and mangroves and does best in brackish water; it needs a wide tank with a tight lid and exposed air space, as it jumps readily and the upper eyes can be damaged by dry air.