Siamese Tiger Fish

The Siamese Tiger Fish is a deep bodied fish with a sharply slanted forehead. It has a golden toned body with black vertical bars. They are usually full bars extending across the entire body. Depending upon the geographic location, they can have between 5 and 7 bars. These fish can get up to at least 18 inches (45 cm) in length in the wild. This size is rare in home aquariums however. In captivity they will generally generally only reach between 9 to 12 inches (20-30 cm). They have a life span of about 15 years.

The two commonly available Datnoids species are this fish, D. microlepis, and the Silver Tigerfish or Four-barred Tigerfish Datnioides quadrifasciatus. Two less common species are the New Guinea Tigerfish Datnioides campbelliwhich will show up on occasion commanding a very high price, and the rare but much sought after Wide Bar Tigerfish Datnioides pulcher, also frequently called the Siamese Tigerfish.

Some distinguishing features for fish identification between the Datnoids:

• Silver Tigerfish or Four-barred Tigerfish Datnioides quadrifasciatus.
  The Silver Tigerfish is distinguished from the other species by its silver body coloration. It also has more of a “bullet” body shape and up to 7 full black bars, often with 1 to 4 partial bars in between the full bars. This species naturally occurs in brackish waters, which has led to a common misconception that all Tiger Fish species are brackish. 
• New Guinea Tigerfish Datnioides campbelli
  The New Guinea Tigerfish will occasionally show up, and when it does it commands a very high price. It is easily distinguished from the other Datnioides species by its intense gold body color with indistinct black bars that are irregular and variegated. 
• Wide Bar Tigerfish or Wide Bar Dat Datnioides pulcher
  The Wide Bar Tigerfish is quite rare but much sought after in the hobby. It is also frequently called the Siamese Tigerfish. Being very similar in appearance to D. microlepis, the two are easily confused, which is further complicated by the cross-over use of the same common name. The Wide Bar Tigerfish is easy to distinguish however. The wide central black band on the D. pulcher will taper to a point before it reaches the ventral surface.
• Size of fish – inches: 17.7 inches (45.01 cm) – Rarely grow that large in captivity. Usually reach between 9 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) in the aquarium.
• Lifespan: 15 years – These fish are quite long lived, with a life span of 10 years or longer.