All fish / Datnioididae

Mekong tiger perch

Datnioides undecimradiatus

Also known as mekong tiger fish, mekong tiger, mekong datnoid, eleven ray tiger perch, thai tiger fish, siamese tiger fish, tiger datnoid, datnoid, indo tiger, ปลาเสือตอลายเล็ก, ปลาเสือตอ, ダトニオ・プラスワン

A deep-bodied, laterally compressed predator with a golden to tan body crossed by dark vertical bars, usually thinner and more numerous than in related tiger perches. It is the smallest of the trade datnoids and is prized as a striking showpiece for large community tanks of robust fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 30 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.8

Smallest tank

450 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a group of 5 or more in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, prawns, earthworms, insects, can be weaned onto pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Mekong and Chao Phraya basins: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam

Breeding

Not known to have been bred in home aquariums; trade specimens are wild caught or occasionally farm raised in Thailand.

Good to know

It will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth and can squabble with its own kind in cramped tanks. Wild stocks have declined, and it is often confused with other Datnioides species sold under similar names.