marine puffer fish

There’s also a related family, the Triodontidae, comprising solely the bizarre Threetooth puffer (Triodon macropterus) which is rarely seen in the hobby. True puffers differ from porcupinefish firstly in dentition.

Lionfish make a majestic addition to the aquarium and can be kept singularly, in pairs or in small groups if the aquarium is large enough.

The Target-group puffers have also been spawned in aquariums, and follow a similar courting behavior, minus the crest/keel display. His parenting is finished when the young hatch, and the fry are on their own. Caves and overhangs will also be appreciated.

This issue can best be dealt with by a combination of strategies. In these respects, they are somewhat similar to the terrestrial Reproduction in freshwater species varies quite a bit. Overfeeding is a big problem with puffers, so don’t respond to their inevitable begging behaviour. Check skin and fins for signs of trauma during transport and avoid any physically damaged fish. Bs22 area. Live marine. Working from home, I’ve saved hours on commuting, and found myself returning to my roots — I’ve actually had enough time to write for my own magazine! The larger species from the Arothron, Diodon and Chilomycterus genera should be fed less frequently, with adults perhaps only every other day.

Larger puffers and porcupinefish can be extremely aggressive with conspecifics, or even heterospecifics of a similar appearance, so limit stocking to one member of each genus and limit all other tank mates to aggressive or semi-aggressive species. They are morphologically similar to the closely related porcupinefish, which have large external spines.

Even so, never encourage a puffer to inflate. This issue has ended up a little ‘catfish heavy’, but as the late artist Bob Ross would say, “we don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents...” This species often rapidly outgrows its system and can reach around 60cm/2’ in length! Also because their diet consists of meaty foods which put a large load on the bio-filter, they are not generally recommended for the reef aquarium. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 2013, Supplement No. But I’m sure as heck not complaining about it. There are only a few freshwater species of puffers, most puffers are a marine fish. Chopped prawn, cockle, frozen Mysis, algal feeds and flake should all be offered twice a day.

require 150 l/33 gal or so in volume. If the specimen appears in good condition, go for it — but quarantining any new additions is highly recommended.Puffers and porcupinefish are generally pretty hardy, but can be vulnerable to parasitic infections such as Cryptocaryon due to their thin, sensitive skin, although conventional copper-based treatments will help to clear up these problems. As for captive breeding, these fish are extremely challenging and there are no reliable reports of any successes.However, in Japan there’s ongoing research and some promising work into pufferfish breeding, particularly Takifugu, for the lucrative aquaculture industry there.Larger puffers can make light work of the crunchiest invertebrates and also trash their aquariums! All puffer fish belong to the family Tetraodontidae.Puffer fish are tropical fish found in marine, brackish and freshwaters across the world. Expect this species to reach around 20cm/8”. For other fish known by this name, see Kottelat, M. (2013): The Fishes of the Inland Waters of Southeast Asia: A Catalogue and Core Bibliography of the Fishes Known to Occur in Freshwaters, Mangroves and Estuaries. It grows large though — up to nearly 1m/3.3’ in the wild! The morphology of spines covering the body also differs.

Some species of pufferfish have also been known to enact various hunting techniques ranging from ambush to open water hunting.The tetraodontids have been estimated to diverge from Pufferfish can be lethal if not served properly.

Otherwise, this is a rewarding fish which should live for many years The Common porcupinefish (D. hystrix) is also circumtropical and a little less outgoing and more cryptic than the previous species. Aggressive protein skimming, preferably via an oversized skimmer and maybe utilising ozone, is a must and efficient biological filtration vital.These are intelligent fish, benefiting from a suitably complex environment to explore.

The scientific name refers to the four large teeth, fused into an upper and