All fish / Belonidae

Freshwater Needlefish

Xenentodon cancila

Also known as needlefish, silver needlefish, asian needlefish, freshwater garfish, garfish, gar fish, needle nose gar, silver needle fish, ปลากระทุงเหวเมือง, ikan todak, ニードルフィッシュ, ikan julung-julung

A long, slim silvery fish with a dark stripe along the flank and very long, toothed beak-like jaws, often edged with red or black on the fins. It is kept by people who enjoy unusual surface predators and like watching its sudden hunting strikes.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Group of 3 or more of similar size

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen fish, river shrimp, insects, earthworms; can be weaned onto some frozen foods

Swims

Top of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

South and Southeast Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia

Breeding

An egg scatterer that attaches eggs to plants using sticky threads, and the young hatch already resembling small adults. Spawning has been reported in large aquaria but is rarely achieved deliberately.

Good to know

It eats any fish small enough to fit in its mouth and is easily startled, so it may injure its fragile jaw on glass; use a long, covered tank with plenty of swimming room. Many wild fish arrive thin and reluctant to accept non-live foods.