Gulf saratoga

Care at a glance

Overview

Expect an adult near 90 cm and provide at least 1200 litres with a wide surface and a heavy, tight lid, since saratogas jump hard. Keep them at 24 to 30 C and pH 6.5 to 7.5 with strong filtration. They are best kept singly or with large, robust tankmates, as they are aggressive and will eat smaller fish. Feed prawns, insects, earthworms and pellets.

In the wild

The Gulf saratoga is an Australian bony-tongue with large pearly scales, each marked with a pink or red crescent that catches the light. It is a surface-oriented ambush predator of still and slow waters. Adults are territorial and often aggressive toward their own kind.

Good to know

Scleropages jardinii is a mouthbrooder, with the male carrying the eggs and fry. It is one of two Australian Scleropages, separated from the southern saratoga by range and spot pattern. The species is an air-gulper adapted to warm, oxygen-poor billabongs.

Did you know

Saratogas are sometimes called living fossils because their bony-tongue lineage has changed little for tens of millions of years.

Related species

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  Asian arowana

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