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FishFreshwaterBrackishIntermediate

Smallscale Archerfish

Toxotes microlepis

Famous for shooting water droplets to catch insect prey, this brilliant silvery archerfish needs a 250L brackish tank with a tight lid and overhanging plants to display its unique hunting behaviors.

Taxonomy

Class:Actinopteri

Order:Perciformes

Family:Toxotidae

Genus:Toxotes

Species:Toxotes microlepis

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Water Temperature

24 - 30 °C

pH Value

7 - 8.5

Water type

Freshwater / Brackish

Tank level

Surface

Adult size

15 cm

Minimum tank volume

>= 200 L

Minimum group

>= 5

10 - 25 dGH

5 - 12 dKH

TDS

200 - 495 ppm

Conductivity

313 - 773 uS/cm

Species description

Geographical Origin and Habitat: This species is native to Southeastern Asia, primarily in the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins, as well as coastal rivers and wetlands of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It inhabits coastal rivers, brackish estuaries, and mangrove swamps, adapting to fresh and brackish water.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the Toxotidae family. It features a laterally compressed body, a straight dorsal profile, and a large, protractile upward-pointing mouth adapted for shooting water droplets. Scales are notably smaller compared to other archerfish. Reaches about 15 centimeters.

Social Behavior: Peaceful toward fish of similar or larger size, but an active predator of smaller fish and insects. They live in small, loose schools that swim actively just below the surface, constantly scanning overhanging vegetation for potential prey.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Displays a brilliant silvery or golden body coloration, marked with 4-5 wedge-shaped vertical black bars extending from the back down the flanks. The dorsal and anal fins are highlighted in yellow. No external sexual dimorphism is present.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Aquarium Setup: Requires a large tank of at least 250 liters with a broad water surface. It is essential to leave a 10-15 cm air space between the water surface and the tight-fitting cover to allow for their signature shooting behavior. Decorate with overhanging roots and floating plants.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous and insectivorous. In the wild, they feed on insects, spiders, and small fish. In captivity, feed live insects (crickets, fruit flies, mealworms) along with frozen foods such as krill, mysis, and chopped shrimp. Sinking pellets are ignored; they prefer food floating on the surface.

Water Quality: Euryhaline species that can live in hard freshwater or low-salinity brackish water (recommended SG 1.002-1.005). Maintain temperature between 24 and 28 °C, pH 7.0 to 8.2, and water hardness GH 10-25. Excellent biological filtration and high oxygenation are required.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Suitable for community tanks with robust, medium-sized fish that share similar water requirements, such as mollies, monos, targetfish, or knight gobies. Do not house with small species or small shrimps, as they will be eaten.

Aquarium Breeding: Captive breeding has not been successfully documented in home aquariums. In nature, they are pelagic spawners that release their eggs in brackish open waters, where the larvae drift toward sheltered coastal mangroves to develop.

Risks and Diseases: Exceptional jumpers that will escape through any open gap in the lid. Susceptible to mouth fungus and eye infections if the water quality is poor. Maintaining clean water and avoiding stress from aggressive tankmates are key preventative measures.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species is native to Southeastern Asia, primarily in the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins, as well as coastal rivers and wetlands of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It inhabits coastal rivers, brackish estuaries, and mangrove swamps, adapting to fresh and brackish water.

Origin

South and Southeast Asia

Fish profile

Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Carnivore
Sex ratio: Solitary
Feeding frequency: Twice daily
Bioload: This fish has a moderate to high bioload. They eat a lot and produce corresponding waste. Strong biological filtration is required.
Flow: Strong
Jump risk: Yes
Reproduction: Oviparous
Compatibility & tankmates: Community
Tank level: Top

FishBase

Window to the official scientific data of the species

Data synced on: 06/15/2026

Scientific Parameters & Models

Trophic level: 3.2 ± 0.46 se
Resilience: High (less than 15 months)
Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50): 0.5156
Bayesian Length-Weight: a = 0.0166, b = 3

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

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Variants and close relatives

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Archerfish

Toxotes chatareus

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates