All fish / Datnioididae

New Guinea tigerfish

Datnioides campbelli

Also known as new guinea tiger fish, new guinea datnoid, campbell's tigerfish, new guinea tiger, papua tigerfish, tiger perch, datnoid, png datnoid, ニューギニアタイガー, ikan macan papua, 新几内亚虎, 新几内亚泰国虎

A deep-bodied predatory perch-like fish with a pale gold to bronze body crossed by broad dark bars, very similar to the Asian tiger datnoids. It is one of the rarest datnoids in the hobby and is prized by keepers of large monster fish for its striking pattern and bold character.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

35 cm

Temperature

24 to 29 °C

pH

7 to 8

Smallest tank

800 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a well-spaced group of 3 or more in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, prawns, shrimp, earthworms and large carnivore pellets once trained

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Southern New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Indonesian Papua), Fly River and nearby rivers and estuaries

Breeding

It has not been reliably bred in aquariums. In the wild it is thought to spawn in coastal or brackish waters, and all fish in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

It grows large and will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth, and it can quarrel with its own kind. It is easily confused with other Datnioides species, and adults often do best with some salt added to the water.