Siamese tiger perch

Datnioides pulcher

Also known as Siamese tigerfish, Tiger datnoid, Wide-bar datnoid

FreshwaterBrackishFish

Siamese tiger perch (Datnioides pulcher) — George Berninger Jr. · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Minimum tank: 185 gal (700 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, in slow rivers, floodplains and flooded forest.
Family: Datnioididae

Overview

This slow growing predator can reach 40 to 45 cm, so an adult needs a tank of around 700 litres or more with heavy filtration and regular water changes. Keep it at 24 to 28 C with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 in fresh or very lightly brackish water. It is a predator rather than a brawler, so it ignores fish too large to swallow but will eat anything small, and it is often kept alone or with large, robust tankmates. Feed meaty foods such as shrimp, earthworms and fish flesh, and wean it off live feeders onto frozen and prepared foods.

In the wild

The Siamese tiger perch lives in slow stretches of large rivers, floodplains and flooded forest, hanging among sunken wood and roots. It is a bold, wide-barred predator that holds mid-water at a slight nose down angle. It needs a very large tank with tall driftwood, some cover and open water, plus strong filtration to handle its waste. Water is best kept clean and near neutral to slightly acidic.

Good to know

Datnioides pulcher is a tiger perch in the family Datnioididae and is prized for its bold black and gold banding. It is critically endangered and legally protected in its home range, where wild populations have collapsed from habitat loss, pollution and overfishing. Because of this, aquarium fish are rare and expensive, and true examples are often confused with related datnoids.

Did you know

It is one of the most sought after and costly aquarium fish in Asia, and its protected status means legally traded specimens are almost always captive raised.