African tiger scat

Scatophagus tetracanthus

Also known as African scat, Tiger scat

BrackishSaltwaterFish

African tiger scat (Scatophagus tetracanthus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 7.2–8.4
Adult size: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Minimum tank: 159 gal (600 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: East African rivers and estuaries, Somalia to South Africa
Family: Scatophagidae

Overview

This is a sociable, mostly peaceful grazer that does best in a small group, in hard alkaline brackish or marine water. It is an active mid-water fish with a big appetite for greens, so it needs space, strong filtration, and plenty of plant matter in its diet. It mixes with other robust brackish fish, but it can be pushy at feeding time and grows large, so pick tankmates with some caution and avoid delicate or much smaller fish. Feed a varied diet heavy on vegetable matter: algae, blanched greens, spirulina foods, plus frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and chopped shellfish. Because it reaches around 30 cm, allow at least 600 litres.

In the wild

It lives along the East African coast from Somalia to South Africa, moving between estuaries, mangroves, and lagoons and ranging from river mouths out into the sea. It needs hard, alkaline water with salt, brackish when young and trending more marine as it grows. Recreate that with a temperature of 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, a pH of 7.2 to 8.4, and marine salt, over a bottom of sand and rock with hardy or artificial plants it will not simply eat.

Good to know

A member of the family Scatophagidae, it grows to around 30 cm. Its species name tetracanthus, four-spined, refers to the spines at the front of its dorsal fin. It is the African relative of the common spotted scat and wears bold dark tiger bars instead of spots. Breeding is of moderate difficulty and tied to saltier water, with the young passing through a small armoured larval stage.

Did you know

Where the familiar spotted scat is covered in dark dots, this East African cousin is banded like a tiger. It is far less often exported than its Asian relatives, so despite being a boldly marked fish it stays a rarity in the hobby.