Green Spotted Puffer Fish

Green spotted puffers, are very cute looking brackish fish, which means they prefer slightly salty water. If kept in freshwater, they will not survive for long. They are very curious and active, and hence you need to keep a larger aquarium with rocks, plants and other decorations. They also spend a lot of time sleeping at the bottom of the fish tank. But, once you pay attention to them they will again become excited and playful. Hence, due to this peculiar behavior, keeping green spotted puffers can be a very rewarding and entertaining hobby.

Buying Green Spotted Puffer
Buy a young puffer fish, which has bright green fluorescent colored spots on its head, and rounded white stomach. Buying a young fish is a good idea, because younger ones adapt to their environment better unlike the older ones. They have a life span of 10 or more years, and if you start with a younger fish you will be able to spend more time with your fish.

Fish Tank Size & Decoration
Green spotted puffers can grow up to 7 inches, and like to explore their surroundings, so always opt for a bigger fish tank. For a couple of green spotted puffers, a tank of 15 gallons will do just fine, with 1 tank mate like a bottom feeder. To design a tank environment which matches the fish's active and curious nature; add rocks, bogwood or robust or plastic plants for cover.

Water Requirements
The water temperature should be keep between 75 - 82 F. The pH should be between 7.5 to 8.5, and the water hardness can be maintained at medium. Adult green spotted puffer fish live in brackish water, but for young puffers you should start with freshwater. In some cases, you might not even need to add salt to the aquarium water, especially if you started with young aquarium fish, as they can adapt to their freshwater environment.

Tank Mates
Due to their aggressive nature towards their tank mates and their salty water requirement, it is good if you don't add many fish in the tank. Sometimes it will happen, that the tank mates will disappear after few months of keeping them with the puffers. So, it is very important that you choose the tank mates for this fish carefully.

Food
In their natural habitat these fish eat crustaceans (aquatic arthropods). To feed the puffers in tank, give them frozen brine shrimp everyday. They enjoy these a lot because they can attack and tug at the shrimp. They will eat plants and meat, but dislike most flakes and pellets, so feed them frozen shrimp, krill, glass worms, crickets, worms, and especially small snails.

Puffed Up Behavior
Although these fish, are famous for their puffing up nature, you should never let your fish puff up. The puffing is triggered only when there is extreme stress, and it can prove fatal for the fish. Make sure while transporting this fish that they don't puff up. So, try to move them from one place to another by using a bag rather than by using a net. Puffing in water is dangerous, but if the fish puff in air then certainly it will definitely lead to the fish's death.

Always remember never to let them puff up, to prevent any injuries to the fish. Apart from this, the adorable fish are very cute and entertaining and even when they are resting, they will become happy and excited when you look at them, as they recognize and respond to their owners.