The Dwarf Puffer Fish is also known as Tetraodon nigroviridis, Green Puffer or Speckled Puffer. It is a very interesting fish from the point of view of the aquarium hobby, it is an elegant fish in its movements and a very good eater of live food. That yes, it will be necessary to take into account the compatibility with other fish to avoid unpleasantness.
In this breed file on our site we are going to get to know in depth the dwarf puffer fish, characteristics, care and feeding.
Dwarf Puffer Fish Characteristics
The Dwarf Puffer is reduced in size as its name suggests. It measures between 13 and 17 centimeters, (although on exceptional occasions they reach up to 12). This allows us to keep it in an aquarium that is not too large (about 60 liters) as long as we do not have it living with other fish, because later we will see that compatibilities are sometimes complicated.
Its base color is yellow and mottled with black or bluish spots, although we must add that the young are a more intense yellow than in adulthood. The belly, however, is white, smooth and without any type of stain. The eyes are very striking: large, bulging and each one can move independently of the other.
Of course, in honor of their name, they can transform into a puffer fish by ingesting large amounts of water and air. This is their defense system and we should not provoke them to observe this phenomenon because we cause them harmful stress.
Dwarf Puffer Fish Care
The essential precautions that we always have to take into account for all our fish are the type of aquarium, the water and the temperature, as well as the food they can eat. Let's detail the needs of the Dwarf Pufferfish:
- The aquarium: if you are going to live alone, we recommend a 60 liter aquariumAlthough it could perfectly fit a 30 liter, your needs for space to hide, shelter and feel safe may be affected. We recommend spaces to hide and for free swimming. If you are going to share space with other species or our fish is growing excessively, we must inform ourselves beforehand. We will need a fish tank with at least double the capacity. It is common for it to show aggressiveness and even bite.
- Types of water: Dwarf Pufferfish can live in fresh or brackish water(mixture of fresh and s alt water) although the second option is preferable. For this reason, it is very important that the expert explains to us the environment in which he has lived until now so that a sudden change does not cause him to perish.
- Temperature: being a tropical fish it will need a temperature between 22ºC and 28ºC and a pH between 6.5 and 8.3 It is very important to maintain a suitable temperature and pH. The changes of both bring very unpleasant and negative consequences for our delicate friends, the filter and thermometer will help us to verify that everything works properly.
Dwarf Puffer Feeding
The Dwarf Puffer Fish is carnivorous and voracious. By all accounts, go out of their way for sea snails.
For your diet we will provide you with live crustaceans and molluscs,since they like them very much. We can also offer you mosquito larvae and worms, and even if we don't have live food, mussel pieces. Of course, we will never give them food with scales, since they are intolerant to them.
Differences between male and female Dwarf Pufferfish
Even for experts it is quite difficult to distinguish the sex of these tropical water fish. However, reference is made to certain differences:
- Although the belly of these exotics is normally white and smooth, in the case of males it may present abrown hue line . It is something that in females we will never be able to appreciate.
- females are often more rounded and bulky than males. males.
The reproduction of these fish is oviparous and the eggs are deposited between the plants until they hatch. Life expectancy can reach 8 years in captivity.
Dwarf Puffer Fish Compatibility
As we have explained before, they are very aggressive fish. Although we may think that this behavior is due to territoriality to get food, they also bother and hurt the fins of their conspecifics.
We would recommend mixing them with:
- Beaufortia leveretii (also known as the Borneo Pleco): The Pleco is a very calm fish that adapts well to living with other fish and in particular with the Dwarf Puffer fish, this recommendation is not useful for the breeding season.
- Dwarf Pufferfish: the most recommended option is to join it with others of the same species.
Remember that the most important thing to avoid this aggressive behavior with other fish is to use a very large and spacious aquarium, with foliage as for example rocks or logs plants.
