Overview
- The Banded Archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix) is famous for shooting jets of water to knock insects off overhanging plants.
- Widespread from India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific.
- Grows to about 12 in (30 cm).
- Lives mainly in brackish mangrove swamps and estuaries, though it also enters fresh water. Long-term care is usually best in brackish water. [UNVERIFIED]
Feeding
- Feeds on land and water insects and other invertebrates, and sometimes small fish.
- Offer crickets, flies, frozen krill and similar meaty foods. In a paludarium, insects placed on plants above the water encourage natural shooting.
Habitat
- A tank of 48 × 24 × 24 in (120 × 60 × 60 cm), about 114 gallons (432 liters), for an adult.
- Use a brackish setup with mangrove roots, or a tall tank half-filled with water and land and plants above.
- Slow water flow. Water: 77–86°F (25–30°C), pH 7.0–8.0 (upper end preferred), hard water.
Fish Care
- Leave a gap of open air above the water so it can hunt from the surface.
- Keep a secure lid, as archerfish can jump.
Compatibility
- Good with other large brackish fish such as scats, monos and green chromides.
- Will eat much smaller fish.
Aquarium Behavior
- Generally peaceful, but can be aggressive toward its own kind.
- Keeping a group of 4–5 helps spread out aggression.
Breeding
- No reports of breeding in home aquariums.
- Believed to migrate to full seawater to breed, which is very hard to replicate.