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No federal permit to keepFinescale tigerfish
Datnioides microlepis
Fishes › Tigerfish and tripletails (Acanthuriformes) › Lobotidae (Tigerfish and tripletails)
Datnioides microlepis, also known as the Indonesian tiger perch, Indo datnoid, Indonesian tigerfish, or finescale tigerfish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lobotidae, the tripletails and tiger perches.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 108 in long and 42 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 21.7 in / 55 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 72–79°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 68–82 °F, pH 5.5–7.5, 2–15 dGH.
- Behaviour: kept alone; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Juveniles and subadults should be provided with a well-decorated, planted aquarium with driftwood roots and branches.”
- Diet: “An efficient, largely piscivorous, predator with highly protrusible mouthparts.”
- Tankmates: “Can be maintained alongside similarly-sized fishes if sufficient space is available, but might be intimidated by territorial or otherwise competitive species.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Tigerfish and tripletails
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: The listed Datnioides inhabit deep Southeast Asian freshwater rivers and flooded forests, whereas Atlantic tripletails are warm-water marine pelagic fish. [fg304-microlepis, fg304-pulcher, fg304-tripletail]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Adult tigerfish need public exhibits or exceptionally large private freshwater aquaria; provide roots and plants for juveniles and surface cover for adults.
- Use large external filters or a sump and protect heaters from damage by adult tigerfish.
- Keep D. microlepis and D. pulcher in freshwater without marine salt.
- Tripletail broodstock were maintained in 28 cubic metre tanks, 4.9 m diameter and 1.5 m deep; this is a research setup, not a demonstrated minimum.
- The tripletail system used 30 ppt seawater, mechanical and biological filtration, protein skimming and heater/chiller control.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 68–80.6°F |
Diet
- Tigerfish: earthworms and prawns, with small portions for juveniles.
- Tigerfish: mussels and fish flesh; avoid terrestrial meat and routine live feeder fish.
- Tripletails: fish, squid and shrimp, as used for captive broodstock.
Social life
- Adult tigerfish can be aggressive toward their own kind; single specimens are conservative, with similarly sized companions only in sufficient space. Tripletail broodstock were maintained in groups; this does not establish compatibility in smaller tanks.
Health watch
- Post-import stress and refusal to feed in tigerfish.
- Fat deposition and organ degeneration from inappropriate terrestrial meat in tigerfish.
- General captive-fish risk: ammonia toxicity.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
This species is endemic to the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Datnioides microlepis” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams, lakes. Uses both the bottom and open water. Inhabits freshwater rivers, lakes and reservoirs, frequenting areas with a lot of submerged branches, such as flooded forests. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 72–79 °F (22–26 °C). |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 72–79 °F.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 93°F (up to 95°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 67°F (down to 60°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 79–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 71–79% on average (driest month about 65%) |
| Rainfall | about 1826 mm a year |
Measured at 12 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Datnioides microlepis, also known as the Indonesian tiger perch, Indo datnoid, Indonesian tigerfish, or finescale tigerfish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lobotidae, the tripletails and tiger perches. This species is endemic to the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | Datnioides microlepis has the deepest body of the species in the genus Datnioides, its standard length being 2.1 to 2.4 times its depth. The maximum published total length for this species is 65 cm, and it comes from South Sumatra making it the largest species of Datnioides. It may be identified from its congeners by having 6 or 7 broad dark vertical bars on the body, with a yellowish-grey background colour. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Inhabits freshwater rivers, lakes and reservoirs, frequenting areas with a lot of submerged branches, such as flooded forests. Adult fish feed on small shrimps, fish fry and small fishes while young individuals take zooplankton. Also feeds on crabs, worms and insect larvae and plants. — FishBase |
| History and naming | Datnioides microlepis was first formally described in 1854 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker with its type locality given as the Kapuas River at Pontianak, Kalimantan, Indonesia. This taxon was considered to be conspecific with the Siamese tigerfish (D. pulcher), which was included in D. microlepis until 1998. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Typical adult weight
Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Datnioides microlepis Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Datnioides pulcher Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Saillant et al. (2021): First data on aquaculture of the Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Common Environmental Hazards for Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
