Biara

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a large, fast predator that needs a very big tank of a couple of thousand liters with open swimming length and a secure lid, since it jumps hard. It is not aggressive toward fish it cannot eat and often shoals, but it will swallow smaller tankmates and stresses easily when first imported. It is a specialist fish, not a community choice.

In the wild

Cruises open water in large rivers and floodplains, hunting smaller fish in midwater. Its extremely long, compressed body and upturned jaw are built for fast pursuit near the surface. It roams the channels rather than holding among cover.

Good to know

Rhaphiodon vulpinus is a very elongate predator in the family Cynodontidae, reaching around 80 cm. It has a pair of long fangs in the lower jaw and a strongly upturned mouth. The slim, silvery body is built entirely for speed.

Did you know

Its body is so long and thin, with a deeply forked tail and jutting jaw, that it looks more like a silver blade than a typical fish.

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