Green Puffer
Dichotomyctere fluviatilis
- Care level
- Advanced
- Adult size
- 17 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
Species profile
Golden Puffer
Chonerhinos naritus
Common names: Golden Puffer, Bronze Puffer, Yellow Puffer
Recognized speciesPufferfish
Adult size
Up to 28.5 cm
Up to 28.5 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- An experienced keeper with a large brackish species tank
Think carefully if
- The seller says it is a freshwater fish
- You want tankmates
- You also keep shrimp or snails you want to protect, because this puffer will eat them
A large, aggressive estuary puffer that grows to about 28 cm. It is often sold as freshwater, but it needs salt, and it should be kept alone.
Appearance and Identification
A long, streamlined puffer in gold to bronze with a pale belly. It is slimmer and more torpedo-shaped than most puffers.
The name Golden Puffer is shared with Auriglobus modestus, so check the scientific name. This fish is also listed as Xenopterus naritus.
Unknown.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 970–1,220 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 250–375 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 243 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 120 cm
- Minimum group size
- 1
- Recommended group size
- 1
- Activity level
- Very active
- Flow preference
- Moderate
- Planting preference
- Open swimming space required
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Low
Use sand, smooth rocks and wood, with plenty of open swimming space. Salt to at least SG 1.005 is needed. Plants may be bitten, and many will not survive the salt.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A fast, active and aggressive swimmer.
Keep alone. It is very aggressive towards its own kind.
Requires its own aquarium.
Keep alone. Its beak can easily bite chunks from other fish, or rip them apart. It will eat shrimp and snails.
Water Parameters
Needs marine salt to at least SG 1.005, despite often being sold as a freshwater fish. Note that the pH and hardness figures are from Seriously Fish, and that salt mixes usually push these higher.
Parameter caveat
Puffers are messy feeders and sensitive to waste, so keep up regular water changes and use a filter rated for a larger tank.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Snails and mussels in the shellEssential. Crushing shells wears down the beak, which never stops growing.
- Crab legs, prawns and cocklesFeed unshelled where you can, for the same reason.
- EarthwormsA useful meaty food, and many puffers take them readily.
A carnivore. Feed snails and shellfish in the shell, along with worms and frozen foods.
Check the beak regularly. If it overgrows, the fish can no longer eat and the teeth may need to be trimmed by someone experienced.
Breeding
- Breeding difficulty
- Not commonly bred
- Parental care
- Unknown
Not thought to have been bred in aquariums.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam
- Natural habitat
- Brackish Water, Estuary, River
- Aquarium contexts
- Brackish Aquarium, Large Aquarium, Needs Brackish Water, Species-Only Aquarium
- Audience level
- Specialist
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Chonerhinos
- Family
- Tetraodontidae
- Species group
- Fish, Pufferfish
- Previous scientific names
- Xenopterus naritus, Another name still in use for this fish.
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Green Spotted Puffer
Dichotomyctere nigroviridis
- Care level
- Advanced
- Adult size
- 17 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
Humpback Puffer
Pao palembangensis
- Care level
- Advanced
- Adult size
- 19.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 108 litres
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C