Archerfishes are found in shallow depth mangrove shores, brackish estuaries, and freshwaters. They are usually seen in small aggregations, but sometimes alone, close to the surface. They are omnivorous but mainly feed on insects by squirting water at them, knocking them out from branches or in the air. The water squirt is known to be accurate over a distance of at least 2 meters.
There is only one genus and about 7 species worldwide. Malaysian is represented by 3 species.