*** stolen from another site (dont know if i can post the name but some already know from where) ***
Coius campbelli
Common names: New Guinea Tiger, New Guinea Datnoid, NGT
Family: Coiidae
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Max size: Can reach up to 24 inches although the largest I have heard of was 18".
Environment: Fresh water and reported in brackish waters in New Guinea
Distribution: New Guinea and northern Australia
Description: A very rare and seldom seen member of the Datnoid family. Its colors are mainly jet black and gold but it can change to an overall charcoal color when stressed or when it just feels like it. They have 4 black bars on the body and two smaller ones on the tail. The bars have a "fuzzy" appearance due to the fact they are not clean, straight bars but more of a wavy or broken pettern bar around its edges. The body color is a rich, intense gold. They are very tall and wide when adults but their mouth is not as large as the other Datnoid species. They seem to prefer plenty of smaller morsels than 1 or 2 big ones. The ones I have, will eat several pieces of shrimp and fish rather than one big shrimp. When it comes to live fish however, they'll eat whatever size they can get. Yet, they still don't have the large oral capacity that is seen with the other Datnoids.
I have counted between 9 and 10 dorsal spines on all of my New Guinea Datnoids and they are colored accordingly with the pattern of the fish.
They are impossible to mistake with the other Coius species as they are uniquely shaped and uniquely colored. I currently have all species of Datnoids but the NGT's are by far my favorites.
Temperament: Very peaceful towards any fish it cannot swallow but extremely aggressive towards other NGT's. Size differences seem to matter when displaying aggression. For example I am successfully keeping my 12 inch NGT with two 4 inch NGT's. I am also successfully keeping my 14 inch NGT with two 7 inch NGT's (raised together). However, when I tried to keep the 14 incher and the 12 incher together, they were going to burst out of the tank fighting. I currently have the NGT's housed with all other datnoid species and there is little to no conflict between different species.
Water parameters: They need clean water to thrive. I keep them in freshwater and I only add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 10 gallons of water. Temperature is between 76-85 degrees Farenheit. pH is kept at around 7 but they have tolerated lower values for short periods of time.
Feeding: This is not a problem for NGT's as they seem to consume anything that can fit in their mouths. The smaller specimens might be difficult to train to frozen or dead food but the larger ones will consume anything that hits the water. I feed shrimp, silversides, fish strips, krill, frozen bloodworms, Hikari carnivore pellets, nightcrawlers, and feeder fish and ghost shrimp.
Note: This is a species of Datnoid that doesn't get much following because of its price and its "not-so-attractive" looks when compared to the "wide bar" datnoids. However, if you decide to give it a try, you will not be dissapointed by their antics and spectacular colors and pattern. By the same token, this species is not for everyone, especially if you do not have a good filtration system. They seem very sensitive to poor water quality and thus are not suited for an aquarium that doesn't have an oversized filtration system with almost perfect water parameters.
This species profile was written based on my experiences with them and following the format started by Ichthyophile. It is not meant to be taken as a rule but rather as an educated writing based on my experience with the species.
