First off, some of you claim I haven't kept these fish, but I have kept all of them while I worked at a pet store, granted I didn't take care of them for life, but I did learn about them and have found out the proper way to care for them. Now for the care guide
Name: Toxotes blythii
Endemic to: fast moving streams of Burma
Size: usually 6 inches (15 centimeters), though I have seen them hit 8 inches (20 centimeters) and have heard reports of them hitting 10-12 inches ( 25 cm-30 cm)
Tank Size: For one of the smaller fully grown specimens ( <8 inches or <20 centimeters),I would say 40 gallons minimum (76 liters), but they like being in schools so I would recommend 75 gallons+ (284 liters+) for a school of 6 (assuming they are around the 8 inches or 20 cm mark, if they are larger you may need to upgrade)
Temperament: Relatively peaceful, they will eat small fish and invertebrates, but will leave other fish along, as they don't fit in their mouth.
Water parameters: 77-82°F ( 25-28°C) with a pH of 6.5-8.0. A good thing about these archer fish is that they do not require brackish water
Diet: Carnivore, I have found they like bugs (crickets, millipedes, centipedes that are defanged, spiders, grasshoppers, dubia roaches, and other small bugs), frozen shrimp, blood worms, brine shrimp, smaller fish, small invertebrates, and floating pellets)
Breeding: Unknown
Tank Set Up: The tank should have a large foot print as this fish likes a lot of room. The tank does not need to have a substrate. The tank ABSOLUTELY requires a lid as this fish WILL jump (plus they might spit at you). This fish likes to have a lot of plants and cover, so you should provide plants. The next part is optional, but I highly recommend it for both the fish and for the owner. When I kept these, we had filled the tank (which was a 120 wide 4'x2'x2') half way so there was 1 foot of space about the water. We had anubias, sticks, and other plants above the water and we would put crickets in there for the fish to hunt. These fish are called archer fish because they spit water to hit bugs off of branches and leaves. This tank should have a strong filter as these fish are dirty carnivores and are native to streams and like fast current.
Name: Toxotes blythii
Endemic to: fast moving streams of Burma
Size: usually 6 inches (15 centimeters), though I have seen them hit 8 inches (20 centimeters) and have heard reports of them hitting 10-12 inches ( 25 cm-30 cm)
Tank Size: For one of the smaller fully grown specimens ( <8 inches or <20 centimeters),I would say 40 gallons minimum (76 liters), but they like being in schools so I would recommend 75 gallons+ (284 liters+) for a school of 6 (assuming they are around the 8 inches or 20 cm mark, if they are larger you may need to upgrade)
Temperament: Relatively peaceful, they will eat small fish and invertebrates, but will leave other fish along, as they don't fit in their mouth.
Water parameters: 77-82°F ( 25-28°C) with a pH of 6.5-8.0. A good thing about these archer fish is that they do not require brackish water
Diet: Carnivore, I have found they like bugs (crickets, millipedes, centipedes that are defanged, spiders, grasshoppers, dubia roaches, and other small bugs), frozen shrimp, blood worms, brine shrimp, smaller fish, small invertebrates, and floating pellets)
Breeding: Unknown
Tank Set Up: The tank should have a large foot print as this fish likes a lot of room. The tank does not need to have a substrate. The tank ABSOLUTELY requires a lid as this fish WILL jump (plus they might spit at you). This fish likes to have a lot of plants and cover, so you should provide plants. The next part is optional, but I highly recommend it for both the fish and for the owner. When I kept these, we had filled the tank (which was a 120 wide 4'x2'x2') half way so there was 1 foot of space about the water. We had anubias, sticks, and other plants above the water and we would put crickets in there for the fish to hunt. These fish are called archer fish because they spit water to hit bugs off of branches and leaves. This tank should have a strong filter as these fish are dirty carnivores and are native to streams and like fast current.
