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Tetraodon duboisi, Stanley Pool Puffer
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pH 7.0, Temp 82 Fahr. Adult size 3" |
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Min. Tank size 20 gallons, |
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Live foods preferred but may eat flake, |
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Semi-aggressive. |
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Tetraodon fluviatilis, Round-Spotted Puffer
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pH 7.0, Temp 77 Fahr. Adult size 6" |
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Min. Tank size 30 gallons |
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Live foods preferred |
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Aggressive. |
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Until recently known as the Tetraodon fluviatilis, the spotted puffer is one of the more commonly found puffers in your LFS - along with the Figure Eight - and therefore for most people will be their first encounter with puffer fish. Unfortunately it is not the most suitable fish for a beginner as they require brackish conditions and are notorious fin nippers and can be killers.
Often described as cute, the Spotted Puffer's body conform to the standard puffer shape with a white underbelly and yellow/green top covered in black spots, this top coloring ranging from dark green to fluorescent green to yellow. Their eyes are an almost metallic blue and appear to reflect light. When sold these fish will normally be about 2.5 cm. to 5 cm long and can be expected to reach about 10 cm in the aquarium.
These fish can be kept in small groups but may do better individually as they can be aggressive and are territorial. Few other fish can be kept with them due to this temperament. If you want to keep fish with them try to avoid ones with long fins and pick faster moving fish which the puffer may not wish to chase.
These fish originate in South East Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Borneo) where they are usually can be found in slow-moving rivers, estuaries and the upper reaches of backwaters. In the wild they prefer shady, marginal areas. |
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Tetraodon leiurus, Twin-Spot or Target Puffer
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pH 7.4, Temp 76 Fahr. |
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Adult size 7+" |
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Min. Tank size 40 gallons |
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Live foods preferred |
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Aggressive. |
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Tetraodon lineatus or Tetraodon fahaka, Band or Nile Puffer
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pH 7.4, Temp 78 Fahr. |
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Adult size 7+" |
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Min. Tank size 50 gallons |
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Live foods preferred but may eat flake |
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Very aggressive. |
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Unsuspecting owners often buy these very aggressive puffers. They should not be kept with any other fish and will not tolerate their own kind. In fact, Al Castro from the Aquarium Fish Magazine once wrote, "I have no idea how they can get close enough to each other to breed."
They originate from the Nile River Basin and the East and West Nile in North/Central Africa as well as the Chad basin, Niger, Volta, Gambia, Geba and Senegal Rivers. |
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Tetraodon mbu, Giant Puffer
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pH 7.3, Temp 82 Fahr. |
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Adult size 25+" |
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Min. Tank size 75 gallons |
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Live foods preferred but may eat flake |
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Very aggressive. |
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Tetraodon miurus, Congo Puffer
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pH 7.0, Temp 80 Fahr. |
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Adult size 4+" |
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Min. Tank size 25 gallons |
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Live foods preferred but may eat flake |
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Very aggressive. |
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One of the less attractive puffers - I have heard it referred to as a swimming turd - the T. miurus is also one of the more unusual puffers. It is a stealthy hunter and will wait either concealed on the bottom of the tank or within plants, for any prey to swim nearby. When they do it will strike.
The T. miurus also has the ability to go through large color changes - even more so than other puffers. It is not unusual for the puffer to change from a bright red color to a more muddy color and anything in between. |
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Tetraodon palembangensis, T. steindachneri or
T. biocellatus but commonly called the Figure-Eight Puffer
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pH 7.5, Temp 80 Fahr. |
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Adult size 8+" |
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Min. Tank size 50 gallons |
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Live foods preferred, |
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Aggressive. |
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The figure eight puffer is one of the more commonly found puffers in your LFS - along with the Spotted Puffer- and therefore for most people will be their first encounter with puffer fish. This fish though is slightly more suited to your average community tank, but even so carries a few bad habits with it including fin nipping as one.
These fish are quite peaceful as juveniles but can be aggressive when older. Keeping them in a small group seems to quiet them down as they tend to pick on each other rather than the other fish.
They originate from Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo and are rumored to come from Freshwater although they do much better in brackish conditions.
Which Latin name is correct for the figure eight puffer can be confusing, as they all seem to be used. Hopefully the following excerpt I was forwarded will help clear the matter up:
Originally it was misidentified as Tetraodon palembangensis by BLEEKER (1852). This was noted by DEKKERS in 1975, and he authored a new name, T. steindachneri. This stood until 1986, when KOTTELAT found an older valid name overlooked by DEKKERS. The older name was T. biocellatus, described by TIRANT in 1885 and this name stands today. |
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Tetraodon schoutedeni, Spotted Congo Puffer
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pH 7.0, Temp 82 Fahr. |
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Adult size 4" |
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Min. Tank size 25 gallons |
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Aggressive. |
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The T. Schoutedeni is very similar in appearance to the Tetraodon nigrifilis and is often soft with or as one of these puffers. The main distinguishing feature between them is it that the T. schoutedeni is covered in small spines - although not around the mouth - and has less distinct spots with patches of tan amongst them. In addition these fish do not grow as big and have a more peaceful temperament. The female is substantially larger than the male.
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