Tiger fish (Hydrocynus vittatus)

Scientific name: Hydrocynus vittatus Castelnau, 1861

Tiger fish (Hydrocynus vittatus)

The Tiger fish (Hydrocynus vittatus) is a freshwater fish of the family Alestidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 22–28°C (72–82°F).

Tiger fish care at a glance

Temperature
22–28°C (72–82°F)

Biology

Prefers warm, well-oxygenated water, mainly larger rivers and lakes. All but the largest form roving schools of like-sized fish; aptly described as fierce and voracious. Feeds on whatever prey is most abundant but Brycinus, Micralestes, Barbus, and Limnothrissa are favored. Useful food fish in some areas.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hydrocynus vittatus
Family
Alestidae (African tetras)
Order
Characiformes (Characins)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
105
Environment
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Niger/B?nou?, Ou?m?, Senegal, Nile, Omo, Congo, Lufira, Lualaba, Luapula, Zambeze, Limpopo, Rovuma, Shore, Rufiji, Ruaha, Wami, and Ruvu. Lakes - Bangw?olo, Mo?ro, Tanganyika, Upemba, Rukwa and Malagarazi. Also Okavango and lower reaches of coastal systems south to Pongolo. Also found in Lake Kariba.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.20-0.30; tmax=11)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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