Teira batfish (Platax teira) care guide

Group
Marine fish
Other names
Longfin batfish, Longfin spadefish, Round-faced batfish
Family
Ephippidae (spadefishes and batfishes)
Origin
Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, the Ryukyus and Australia; coastal waters to open sea, near floating weed.
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
70 cm
Temperature
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
Salinity SG 1.020–1.025
Care level
intermediate
Temperament
peaceful
Reef safe
no

Care

Tank: This fish outgrows home aquaria and is only suitable for public-aquarium-sized systems; no home tank size is given. It is sold small but grows quickly and becomes very tall. Water: the sources give no species-specific figures, so the values here are general marine aquarium guidance: 24–27 °C, pH 8.1–8.4 and specific gravity 1.020–1.025. Keep nitrate low and the water well oxygenated. Behaviour: social and peaceful, often schooling. Juveniles shelter under floating debris and larger fish move into open water. It can change between silver and brown with bands. Identification: silver with black fins and a dark bar through the eye. Status: IUCN Least Concern. Selling: our policies require the adult size and long-term tank needs to be stated clearly in the listing. Large fish must travel by a specialist live-animal courier (see the Livestock shipping guide). Sources: Wikipedia, List of marine aquarium fish species (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofmarineaquariumfishspecies); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plataxteira). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Omnivore eating plankton, small invertebrates and algae. Offer a mix of meaty foods and marine algae.

Breeding

Not described in the sources.

Compatibility and tank mates

Not reef safe. Peaceful; do not keep with aggressive fish that will harass juveniles.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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