F/W Puffer Introduction + Reference Guide [BETA]

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon Palembangensis

Common Names: King Kong Puffer/ Humpback Puffer / Dragon Puffer / Palembang Puffer


Area of distribution: Thailand, Indo-China, Malaysia, Borneo

Max Size: 8 Inch / 21 cm (although larger specimens un-documented specimens have supposedly been seen before)

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:7.5 - 8.5

Recommended min. tank size: 40 US gallons / 150 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Semi-Lurker (although activity levels vary from puffer to puffer).

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are Piscivores by nature and opportunistic feeders, who like to ambush prey as they pass by. So they will NOT hunt snails and prefer a meatier diet of foods such as clam meat / fish / mussels / FD Krill / Shrimp, Nightcrawlers etc.

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Have been known to breed in home aquariums

Extra notes / pre-cautions: Palembangs are not overly aggressive to their own kind and can be sometimes be housed together or with T.Suvatti given a complex enough environment to break up lines of sight.

Although they don’t often bury themselves, its recommended having a sand substrate so that they can bury themselves if they feel inclined to.

Sometimes gets confused with T.Suvatti due to similar appearance and nature.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon Suvatti

Common Names: Pignose Puffer / Arrowhead Puffer / Mekong Puffer


Area of distribution: Mekong River Basin

Max Size: 6 Inch / 15 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 30 US gallons / 115 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Lurker (although activity levels vary from puffer to puffer).

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are Piscivores by nature and opportunistic feeders, who like to ambush prey as they pass by. So they will NOT hunt snails and prefer a meatier diet of foods such as clam meat / fish / mussels / FD Krill / Shrimp, Nightcrawlers etc.

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Have been known to breed in home aquariums

Extra notes / pre-cautions: T.Suvatti are can be aggressive to conspecifics but may also be housed together with their own species or with T.Palembang given a complex enough environment to break up lines of sight.

Although they don’t often bury themselves, its recommended having a sand substrate so that they can bury themselves if they feel inclined to.

A Top view clearly showing the "Arrow" marking above the head of T.Suvatti identifying the species.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetraodon Abei

Common Names: Abei Puffer


Area of distribution: S.E. Asia

Max Size: 4 Inch / 10.5 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 25 US gallons / 95 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Semi-active (although activity levels vary from puffer to puffer).

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are will go out in search of food in the tank accepting food items such as: Live and frozen foods such as blood worms, blackworms, freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), Nightcrawlers or other mollusks, pellets (if accepted).

Sexual Dimorphism: unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: This particular species of puffer is often been confused with M.Turgidus and a few others from the target group.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Monotrete Turgidus

Common Names: Brown Puffer


Area of distribution: Mekong Basin, Thailand, Laos

Max Size: 7.5 Inch / 20 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 30 US gallons / 115 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Semi-active (although activity levels vary from puffer to puffer).

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are will go out in search of food in the tank accepting food items such as: Live and frozen foods such as blood worms, blackworms, freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), Nightcrawlers or other mollusks, pellets (if accepted).

Sexual Dimorphism: unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: This particular species of puffer is often been confused with T.Abei and a few others from the target group.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Monotrete Cambodgiensis

Common Names: Fangs Puffer (photo ID needs updating)


Area of distribution: Mekong Basin, Thailand, Laos

Max Size: 6 Inch / 16 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 30 US gallons / 115 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Semi-active (although activity levels vary from puffer to puffer).

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are will go out in search of food in the tank accepting food items such as: Live and frozen foods such as blood worms, blackworms, freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), Nightcrawlers or other mollusks, pellets (if accepted).

Sexual Dimorphism: unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: This particular species of puffer is often been confused with T.Abei and a few others from the target group.

Considered aggressive and should not be kept with other fish.

Very rarely seen in the aquarium trade.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Monotrete Cochinchinensis

Common Names:


Area of distribution: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia

Max Size: 3 Inch / 7 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 20 US gallons / 75 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Very active Hunter

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are will go out in search of food in the tank accepting food items such as: Live and frozen foods such as blood worms, blackworms, freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), Nightcrawlers or other mollusks, pellets (if accepted).

Sexual Dimorphism: unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: This particular species of puffer is often been confused with T.Abei and a few others from the target group.

Considered aggressive and should not be kept with any other fish.

Rarely seen in aquarium trade.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon Schoutedeni

Common Names: Spotted Congo Puffer


Area of distribution: Mekong River Basin

Max Size: 3.5 Inch / 9 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH: 6.5 - 7.5

Recommended min. tank size: 20-30 US gallons / 80-115 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Active Hunter

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are active hunters constantly looking for any snails in the tank. Other accepted food items can include: Live and frozen foods such as blood worms, blackworms, freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), Nightcrawlers or other mollusks, pellets (if accepted).

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Have been known to breed in home aquariums

Extra notes / pre-cautions: Other than C. Asellus, these guys are considered one of the most friendly puffers which can be housed together or with other fast moving fish without long flowing fins.

Only downside to this fish is that it's still pretty rare in the aquarium trade and therefore comes at slightly higher price.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon Pustulatus

Common Names: Cross River Puffer


Area of distribution: Cameroon,Cross River

Max Size: 14 Inch / 36 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.5 - 7.5

Recommended min. tank size: 120 US gallons / 450 liters (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Active Hunter

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are active hunters constantly looking for food in the tank. Other accepted food items can include: Mussels on half shell, Clams, Gut Loaded Shrimp, Snails, Nightcrawlers , pellets (if accepted) etc.

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: An extremely rare puffer fish which when offered comes with an extremely high price tag.

If you are offered a very young specimen, then you must be careful its not just a young T.Lineatus being passed off as a T. Pustulatus as they may look similar at smaller sizes.

Should be considered aggressive and not suitable for mixing with any other fish. Although with such a high price tag, this should be the only fish in its display tank imo.

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon Lineatus

Common Names: Fahaka Puffer / Nile Puffer


Area of distribution: Africa, Nile River.

Max Size: 18 Inch / 43 cm

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: 125 US gallons / 450 liters (for a single specimen) although ideally you’d want a 180 US Gallon / 680 liter (for a single specimen)

Level of activity: Semi-Active Hunter

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are active hunters constantly looking for food in the tank. They have fairly large appetites and should be fed foods such as: Mussels on half shell, Clams, Gut Loaded Shrimp, Snails, Nightcrawlers, pellets (if accepted) etc.

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: An extremely aggressive puffer that should never be housed with any other fish you don't want to lose.

Image of young Fahaka puffer (under 2" long)


Image of Fahaka Puffer around 4" long

 

[Fat Homer]

Scientific Name: Tetradon MBU

Common Names: MBU Puffer / Giant Puffer


Area of distribution: Africa, Congo Basin.

Max Size: 26 Inch / 67 cm (Largest of all freshwater puffers)

Water Temps+ Parameters: 74 - 80F / 23 – 26’C - pH:6.0 - 7.8

Recommended min. tank size: There is a lot of debate on min. tank size for these fish, so I’ll just say in my own opinion, nothing less than 500 US Gallons / 1900 Liters (although as mentioned, is debatable depending who you talk to).

Level of activity: Semi-Active

Care: As with any scaleless fish, they are extremely sensitive to bad water quality and puffers are considered very messy eaters, so care should be taken to always clean up any leftover food items and to ensure your aquarium has suitable filtration to handle their bio load.

Diet: These puffers are reasonably active hunters with large appetites, so they should be fed crunchy food items such as: Mussels on half shell, Full shell Clams, Gut Loaded Shrimp, Nightcrawlers, pellets (if accepted) etc.

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown

Breeding: Unknown

Extra notes / pre-cautions: MBU like most puffers have temperaments that depend on the individual fish and can either be very timid or aggressive. Therefore owners should also be careful when dealing with these fish and make sure adequate space and filtration is provided for them.

Young MBU Puffer images: