Four-bar Tigerfish (Datnioides polota) Care Guide
Datnioides polota is an estuarine tigerfish of South Asia with broad dark bars, tolerating a wide salinity range and reaching about 30 cm.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Datnioides polota, the four-barred tigerfish, is a predatory fish with broad dark vertical bars on a silver-gold body. It is an estuarine species that tolerates a wide salinity range. (FishBase places it in the family Lobotidae; the name Datnioides quadrifasciatus is treated as a synonym in some sources.)
Taxonomy
- Family: Datnioididae
- Genus: Datnioides
- Scientific name: Datnioides polota
- Common synonym: Polota Datnoid
Habitat
FishBase records the species from India to Indonesia and New Guinea in freshwater and brackish water. It occurs at the mouths of large rivers, in coastal lagoons and lakes, and in rivers above tidal influence.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 500 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 7-8.5
- GH: 10-25 °dGH
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Water type: brackish
Diet
The four-barred tigerfish feeds on fishes, prawns, crabs and some insect larvae. In the aquarium it takes meaty and live foods, fed roughly every two days.
Compatibility
It is a semi-aggressive predator that occupies the middle of the water column. Suitable tankmates include monos and archerfish of similar size; small fish should be avoided as prey.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2019).
Four-bar Tigerfish (Datnioides polota) Breeding Guide
Overview
Datnioides polota, the silver tiger perch or four-bar tigerfish, is a brackish-water predator from southern Asia, ranging from eastern India and Bangladesh through Indochina and Indonesia to New Guinea. It inhabits tidal lagoons and estuaries as well as freshwater rivers and lakes beyond tidal influence. It is a slow-growing display fish; aquarium reproduction has not been reported.
Sexing
Sexual dimorphism is unknown — no reliable external characteristics separate males from females, which is one reason hobby breeding has not been achieved.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Field study on the Musi River in Sumatra indicates the species breeds year-round and spawns in small batches each time, making it a partial (fractional) spawner. Detailed spawning sites, egg numbers and any parental behaviour are not documented.
Egg & Fry Care
No egg or fry husbandry data exist for this species in an aquarium context, since it has not been spawned in captivity. Maintenance recommendations favour brackish conditions of roughly 10–20% seawater strength, but this supports adult health rather than reproduction.
Common Challenges
The unknown sexing, brackish-to-estuarine spawning requirements, large adult size and absence of any captive-breeding protocol make this an impractical breeding subject. It is kept as a single specimen or carefully managed display fish rather than for reproduction. The name Datnioides quadrifasciatus is an invalid junior homonym; the valid name is Datnioides polota (Coius polota Hamilton, 1822).