Fish

Archerfish

Scientific Classification

Appearance and life span

Adult archerfish can grow to lengths of 20 to 30 cm (7.8 to 11.8 in). Both males and females have an oblong body length. They are silver in colour with 4 to 6 black wedge bands running down the length of their bodies. In the wild, banded archerfish can live about 2 years whereas in captivity they can live up to 10 years.

Behaviour and reproduction

Archerfish live in school groups however they do best in small groups of up to 4 individuals. Archerfish are difficult to breed in captivity however once bred successfully; they can spawn up to 3000 eggs, which float on the water surface. These eggs will hatch after about 12 hours and the hatchlings are only a few centimetres long. There is no parental care of Archerfish.

Ecology and conservation

This aquatic fish lives in estuaries around mangroves, with the ability to live in both salt and freshwater. They will swim to lakes and rivers for food not breeding like other fish species. In the wild archerfish are carnivores feeding on insects, small fish as well as crustaceans.

Food at the Zoo

At Riverview Park and Zoo, we feed them crickets to hunt as well as commercial fish food.

Threats

ICUN has listed this species as least concern. Currently, this species is threatened by the destruction of their habitats as well as the aquarium trade, which threatens their wild populations.

Did you know?

• Archerfish are known for spitting water at insects submerging them so they can feed on them. Done by a special groove in their mouth, once they press their tongues against it, it will shoot water out! They are incredibly accurate and can shoot water up to 1.5m away.
• This species can also jump out of water to catch prey.
• They have binocular vision, which is very rare among fish species, to aid in their hunt for prey.