All fish / Datnioididae

Four-barred Tigerfish

Datnioides polota

Also known as four barred tiger, silver tiger fish, indian tiger fish, datnoid, polota tiger, datnioides quadrifasciatus, four-banded tigerfish, freshwater tiger perch, ปลาเสือตอลายคู่, ikan harimau, ダトニオイデス・ポロタ, ikan sumatra

This is a deep-bodied, laterally compressed predator with a silvery to golden body crossed by four or five broad dark bars and a sloping head with a large protrusible mouth. It is kept as a striking display fish for large predator tanks, and is usually cheaper and hardier than its Thai relative.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 30 °C

pH

7 to 8.5

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a group of 3 or more in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, prawns, shrimp, earthworms and insect larvae; some accept pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

South and Southeast Asia: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia; estuaries and lower rivers

Breeding

It is thought to spawn in estuarine or coastal waters, and it has not been bred in home aquariums. All specimens in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

Grows large and will eat any fish small enough to swallow. It does best in hard, alkaline or slightly brackish water, and it is often confused with other Datnioides species such as D. microlepis and D. undecimradiatus.