Siamese tigerfish

Datnioides pulcher

Fishes › Tigerfish and tripletails (Acanthuriformes) › Lobotidae (Tigerfish and tripletails)

The Siamese tigerfish (Datnioides pulcher), also known as the Siamese tiger perch, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lobotidae, the tripletails and tiger perches.

Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Aquarium hobby

Experience: Expert / facility

FamilyTigerfish and tripletails

Adult lengthup to 15.7 in

WaterFreshwater

Care at a glance

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

Understanding the animal

In the wild

From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Wild conditions are context, not enclosure settings.¹

Where it lives	Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water.
Climate	Tropical climate.

FishBase species summary: Datnioides pulcher

Data and studies

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Adult length

Average of sources15.7in

FishBase 16415.7

Seriously Fish species profiles 16715.7

Maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

No federal law singles out this species for private keepers. State and local rules still apply.

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Not covered by the Animal Welfare Act

The Act only covers warm-blooded animals. Reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates have no federal care standards, even at licensed facilities; state and local rules may still apply.

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Has a Seriously Fish aquarium species profile
FishBase records it in the aquarium trade (Aquarium=commercial)
2 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

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.
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.