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Related FAQs: Brackish
Puffers, BR Puffers 2, BR Puffers 3, & BR Puffer Identification, Puffer Identification, BR Puffer Behavior, BR Puffer Selection, BR Puffer Compatibility, BR Puffer Systems, BR Puffer Feeding, BR Puffer Disease, BR Puffer Disease 2, BR Puffer Reproduction, Puffers in General, True Puffers, Freshwater Puffers, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes, Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes, Green Spotted Puffers, Figure Eight Puffers,
Related Articles: Inside the mind
of a puffer; Understanding pufferfish behaviour for better
pufferfish husbandry by Neale Monks All Puffers, Puffer Care and
Information, (Big) Pufferfish Dentistry By Kelly Jedlicki and Anthony Calfo,
Small Puffer
Dentistry By Jeni Tyrell (aka Pufferpunk) the "True" Puffers,
Green Spotted Puffers (GSP's),
The Arrowhead Puffer, Tetraodon
suvattii, miraculously malicious, Brackish Water Fishes, Puffer Care and Information by John
(Magnus) Champlin, Things That My
Puffers Have Told Me by Justin Petrey,
Freshwater to Brackish Puffers, Part of
the Family Tetraodontidae
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By Bob Fenner
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Juvenile Tetraodon lineatus
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Freshwater Puffers by Genus, Species:
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Carinotetraodon salivator Lim & Kottelat 1995.
Found in Asia: Sarawak, Malaysia, in relatively fast-moving
streams, around and burrowing in the substrate.
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No pic
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Chonerhinos amabilis Roberts 1982.
Indonesia. To three inches in length. Feeds on aquatic insect
larvae.
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No pic
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Chonerhinos modestus (Bleeker 1851). Asia:
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. To four inches in length. Eats
insect larvae, fish scales...
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No pic
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Chonerhinos nefastus Roberts 1982.Asia:
Indonesia and Indochina. To three inches in length.
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No pic
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Chonerhinos remotus Roberts 1982. Asia:
Indonesia. To two and a half inches in length.
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No pic
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Chonerhinos asellus Roberts 1982. Asia:
Indonesia. To three inches in length.
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No pic
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Genus Sphoeroides:
Genus Takifugu: (21 spp.).
Mostly brackish to freshwater. Used as sushi bar "highs"...
but don't get too close to death!
| Takifugu ocellatus (Linnaeus 1758).
Freshwater, Brackish. Found in China. Rolf Bandsma
photo. |
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Genus Tetraodon: (23spp.) Some
brackish, others totally freshwater, a few travel between
both
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Tetraodon duboisi Poll 1959. To 8.7 cm.
Known only from the Stanley Pool area of the Congo. Aquarium
photo.
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Tetraodon fluviatilis
Hamilton 1822, the Ceylon Puffer to aquarists, Green Puffer to
science. Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Borneo. To
six inches in length. A common Puffer in the aquarium trade, but an
aggressive fish fin and scale nipper as adults. A freshwater to
brackish species (higher spg as adults). Feed on crustaceans,
worms, mollusks, algae and detritus in the wild. Second photo
on right by Jeni Tyrell/PufferPunk
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/
SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=11270&genusname=
Tetraodon&speciesname=fluviatilis |
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Tetraodon leiurus Bleeker
1851, Asian Freshwater Puffer. Asia: Sundaland, Indochina.
Freshwater, brackish; pH range: 7.0; dH range: 12.0. Sometimes
imported and sold as an aquarium fish. A terror in the way of
being a fin nipper.
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No pic
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Tetraodon lineatus
Linnaeus 1758, the Fahaka, Lined Freshwater Puffer. Africa:
Nile, Chad basin, Niger, Volta, Gambia, Geba and
Sénégal Rivers. Freshwater, brackish; pH
range: 7.0; dH range: 10.0. Infrequently imported. To seventeen
inches in length.
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Tetraodon mbu Boulenger
1899, Mbu Freshwater Puffer. Africa: widely distributed in Lake
Tanganyika and the Congo basin. Freshwater, brackish. To some
twenty six inches in length in the wild. The most commonly
imported freshwater puffer from Africa. This eight inch one in a
trade show aquarium.
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Tetraodon miurus Boulenger
1902, the Miurus Freshwater Puffer. Central Africa: Congo basin.
To seven inches. Lays in the sand, waiting to snatch something
for food. Second photo on right by Jeni
Tyrell/PufferPunk
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Tetraodon nigroviridis Marion le
Proce 1822, the Leopard or Green Spotted Puffer (aka GSP).
Freshwater to Brackish; pH range: 8.0 - 8.0; dH range: 9.0 -
19.0. Tropical: 24-28 C. Asia: Sundaland, Indochina, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Probably found in
India. Often seen in the trade, but very aggressive. Should be
kept solitarily. Feeds on mollusks, worms, algae and other
fish's scales!
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/
SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=7763&
genusname=Tetraodon&speciesname=nigroviridis
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Bigger PIX:
The images in this table are linked to
large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to
go to the larger size. |
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| Tetraodon steindachneri, the Palembang
Puffer. Now recognized as the Figure Eight, T. biocellatus
http://www.fishbase.org/ |
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Disease:
| Unfortunately the majority of
"freshwater" puffers sold (which are actually brackish to
marine) are quite susceptible to infectious and parasitic disease.
Without good water quality (consistent, partial marine conditions)
the non-freshwater tetraodonts frequently succumb to ich (white
spot disease, ichthyophthirius), or become plagued with unsightly
lymphocystis. They respond well to common therapies for all. Shown:
an otherwise healthy Tetraodon nigroviridis with
ich. |
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Bibliography/Further
Reading:
http://www.geocities.com/rubentolon/index.html
Burgess, Warren E. 1983. The Amazon
puffer, Colomesus asellus (Not C. psittacus). TFH
12/83.
Feigs, G. 1957. Tetraodon
schoutedeni (Fresh-water puffers spawn). TFH 9-10/57.
Frank, Stanislav & Jaroslav Elias.
1974. Chonerhinus naritus. TFH 4/74.
Glass, Spencer. 1997. Freshwater
Puffers. TFH 9/97.
Jackson, Lee. 94. Puffers of the genus
Chonerhinos. FAMA 7/94.
Jensen, Christopher. 1993. Pufferfish.
FAMA 10/93.
Ladiges. Undated. Puffer Fish. ADI
#27.
Nelson, Joseph S. 1994. Fishes of the
World. John Wiley & Sons, NY. 600pp.
Noshnow, Anatoli. 1987. Puffer
production: Spawning Tetraodon cutcutia. TFH 10/87.
Ralf, Ricke. Undated. The striped
pufferfish (Tetraodon palembangensis). ADI #31
Thomas, Scott B. 1985. Those practical
fresh-water puffers. FAMA 5/85.
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