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Others
/ Toxotidae / Seven-Spot Archerfish
Seven-Spot Archerfish
Toxotes chataeus | Pictures
Synonyms: Coius
chataeus
Physical description: The fish is moderately elongated and laterally compressed with a pointed head. The
eyes are large and set fairly far forward.
The cleft mouth points toward the surface.
The dorsal and anal fins are situated
far back on the body.
The body is yellow-green to white while the back is darker.
The body is marked with seven black
spots, which may fade with age.
The caudal fin is yellow to green in color, while the rear parts of the anal and dorsal
fins are black.
Size/Length: To 12" (30 cm)
Similar species: Other Archerfish.
Habitat: Found in brackish water estuaries and mangrove swamps. Southeast Asia and Australia;
India, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam.
S: top
Aquarium: 40" (100 cm) or 45-55 gallons (170-209 L).
Follow suggestions for
T. jaculatrix.
Water chemistry: pH 7-8 (7.5), 10-18 dH (12), 77-88°F (25-31°C).
A 1-2% addition of salt is required.
Add 7.5-15 tsp. of salt to every 10 gallons (10-20 g/10 L).
Social behavior: As for T. jaculatrix.
Suggested companions: Monos, Scats, Puffers,
Arius catfish, Mudskippers
FOOD:
Takes food from the surface.
Live: Insects; flies, spiders, crickets, mosquitoes, grasshoppers,
beetles, cockroaches, meal worms; worms; insect larvae; crustaceans; small surface fish.
May
occasionally takes flakes and pellets.
SEX: Unknown
Breeding techniques: Unknown, most likely similar to
T. jaculatrix.
Breeding potential: 10.
Has not been bred in captivity.
Remarks: See T.
jaculatrix.
Difficulty of care: 6.
This brackish water species requires live foods.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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