All fish / Toxotidae

Largescale archerfish

Toxotes chatareus

Also known as seven-spot archerfish, largescale archer, common archerfish, spotted archerfish, archer fish, seven spot archer fish, ปลาเสือพ่นน้ำ, ikan sumpit, テッポウウオ, sumpit, 七星射水鱼, 射水鱼

A silvery, deep-bodied fish with a flat back and a row of six or seven black blotches along the upper flank, sometimes with yellowish fins. It is kept mainly for its famous habit of knocking insects off overhanging plants by spitting jets of water, which it can be trained to do in an open-topped tank with a gap above the water.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

25 to 30 °C

pH

7 to 8.5

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Group of 4 or more of similar size

Diet

Carnivore: insects such as crickets and flies, bloodworm, prawns, floating pellets and sticks

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Southeast Asia (India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia, New Guinea) and northern Australia

Breeding

It scatters large numbers of floating eggs in the wild, probably in coastal or estuarine waters. Captive breeding in home aquariums has not been reliably reported, so nearly all fish are wild caught.

Good to know

Grows much larger than most shop specimens and will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth. Juveniles tolerate fresh water, but adults usually do best in brackish conditions; keep a tight cover with air space, as it jumps.