All fish / Ephippidae

Teira Batfish

Platax teira

Also known as longfin batfish, longfin spadefish, teira batfish, round-faced batfish, tiera batfish, batfish, spadefish, ปลาค้างคาว, ikan kelawar, ツバメウオ, ikan kelelawar, platax

Juveniles have extremely tall dorsal and anal fins with dark vertical bars, and the body becomes a deep silvery disc with a black blotch near the belly as they grow. People keep it for its graceful swimming, curious nature and the way it learns to recognise its keeper.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

50 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1500 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a group in a very large system

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, krill, chopped seafood, marine pellets and algae-based foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan, Indonesia and northern Australia

Breeding

It is a pelagic egg scatterer that spawns in open water, and it has rarely if ever been bred in home aquariums. Commercial aquaculture has produced juveniles, but this is beyond the hobbyist.

Good to know

Small juveniles grow quickly to around 50 cm long and even taller with fins, so they need huge, deep tanks. They are not reef safe with soft corals, and their long fins attract nipping fish.