Archer fish

Archerfish are native to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Growing up to 15cm in length, these unusual predatory fish are renowned for finding their prey above the surface of the water. In the wild, they can jump up to 30cm if the target (such as a fly or insect) is near enough, alternatively, they will shoot jets of water into the air, hitting their prey and wait for it to fall into the water to eat.

These archerfish, like most found in aquariums within the UK, are bred in captivity and do not display the behaviours as they would in the wild, however they do love live food. At Wirral Aquatics we feed brine shrimp and daphnia along with bloodworm. Fending time with our archerfish is fascinating, they are very calculated in their approach to catching their prey.

Archerfish are best kept in groups of five or more. In smaller numbers they can become extremely aggressive and bully the weaker tankmates. Although peaceful with other robust fish of a similar size, they will eat anything smaller than them that will fit in their mouths. Even though these are not wild caught archerfish, they can still jump so be sure that your aquarium lid is secure! Many fish keepers reduce the water level in their aquarium to allow their archerfish to jump safely, without leaving the aquarium.