Origin: The parents of this Archer Fish originally lived in Burma in Southeast Asia.

Maximum Size: In aquariums they can grow to be at least 6" long, which is very large for most home aquariums.

So if you get one and take very good care of it with excellent water and premium foods, and it will almost surely outgrow your aquarium, then you'll need a much larger aquarium.

Behaviors: This is a very active swimmer that can be somewhat aggressive to their own kind, but they get along with most most other species of fish.

Their mouths may become oversized, and you will need to be sure all tank mates are too large to be swallowed. Archer Fish have a unique way of hunting for food as well, they shoot drops of water out of their mouths, above the water level, at insects.

This makes the insect fall into the water, allowing the Archer Fish to gobble them up. These are some really cool fish!

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, Mono Sebae and Argenteus, Scats, and Columbian Sharks.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Archer Fish can live pretty well from about 70 to 80-degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 75 to 78-degrees F.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet Food when larger. Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.

Water Conditions: Archer Fish seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions.

Probably a pH of about 7.8 with high hardness is best.

Most water in the US seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.

Some say these fish need aquarium salt of about 1-Tablespoon per gallon.

Here in our facilities the water is hard, the pH is usually about 7.8, and we add some aquarium salt to their water.

We ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: When young and less than 3" long, it's probably best to house one Archer in at least a 30-gallon tank, but bigger is better.

If you have several, they'll need a proportionately larger aquarium, and soon they'll need a bigger aquarium with 100, 150, 200, 300-gallons, and eventually even bigger.

Decor: Archer Fish do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality, and Archer Fish also hide in the foliage for protection and for hunting.

But most aquarium plants usually do not do well in salted water, so plastic plants are often seen in aquariums with Archers.

Click here for more about live Aquarium Plants.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.

One or two Penguin 350B Filters is the right size for a 50 or 60-gallon aquarium.

As Archer Fish grow, they'll need to live in a bigger aquarium with as many Penguin 350B filters as will fit along the back edge of their aquarium.

Really big aquariums with 350 or more gallons of water will need a larger filtering system.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Archer Fish live for many years with excellent water and premium food.

Gender: It's not easy to tell the males from the females, when they're young and sometimes even as they mature.

As females mature, they often fill with eggs and become plumper, which may be a clue to their gender.

Breeding: There are reports about observations of this fish breeding in the wild, but no such reports about them breeding in aquariums.

Some say the adults spawn in ocean waters.

But others say the adult Archers swim up into freshwater rivers to spawn.

Later some of the young Archers are caught as they swim back down stream toward the ocean, and end up in aquariums throughout most of the world.

Popularity: In spite of the comments above about their eventual size, Archer Fish have been popular for many years.

We like to tell our customers what we know about each type of fish, and then let each customer decide which fish to buy as pets.

Names: The scientific name of the Archer Fish is Toxotes blythii.

Variations: There are variations in the pattern of the dark markings on this species of Archer Fish, and such variations are to be expected in a fish that occurs across such a wide area.

There are also a few other species of Archer Fish that are rather similar to this species and are often sold as this species.

Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Archer Fish, including a picture gallery.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.

DrT - 01/22/2015