Freshwater Puffer Fish

Freshwater Puffer fish is so named, due to its ability to expand itself by sucking water or air. As and when they sense danger, they fill water or air in their elastic stomach thereby making it acquire spherical shape. Globefish, Blowfish, Swellfish and Balloonfish are the other common names by which Puffer fish are known. You may have also heard the term baby puffer fish; these are nothing but the young Puffer fish. Porcupine fish also can inflate itself, but the difference between them is that the Porcupine fish has spines on its body surface, whereas puffer fish does not.

There are a wide variety of Puffer fish and this species belong to the Tetraodontidae family. Some varieties of Puffer fish are found in the sea mostly, near coral reefs or the shore, while some are found in freshwater or brackish environment. Some of the most common varieties of freshwater Puffer fish are mentioned below. There is no specific criteria to consider whether a specific variety of Puffer fish can survive only in freshwater or brackish water, they can survive in both kinds of environment.

Green Spotted Puffer Fish

The green spotted Puffer fish is greenish-yellow in color with dark spots and a white belly. They have rounded, transparent fins with broad and large protruding eyes. The fish is adored by homeowners due its beautiful structure, besides its playful and active nature. They are mostly found in the shores of Chinese, Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Indian shores. They mostly inhabit the fresh or brackish waters of coastal estuaries, floodplains, rivers and streams.

The green spotted Puffer fish have round and stout bodies with a small spine and can grow to a length of 17 cm. They have a small mouth which is topped by slight bulging eyes and broad forehead.

While keeping them in an aquarium, you need to make sure that the water temperature is around 24 to 28 C with a pH value of 7.5 to 8.5. they usually swim around in middle and bottom regions in an aquarium tank. You also need to provide some rocks and plants and arrange them in such a manner that hiding places are available. If you intend to keep a single puffer, a 20 gallon aquarium tank will work fine, but if the number is higher, you would need a 50-60 gallon tank.

Dwarf Puffer Fish

These fish originated in the inland waters of India and were seen for the first time in America in the late 1990s. They have gained popularity in the recent past as they can be kept in small aquarium tanks and are priced lower when compared to other Puffer fish varieties.

The size of an adult dwarf Puffer fish is one inch, the smallest among all Puffer fish varieties. Their eyes are black but they turn blue under light. Moreover, the eyes can move and operate independent to each other, just like that of a chameleon. Depending on whether they are stationary or moving they can close or open their fins. At times, they may curl their tails to signify different things. Curled tails may mean that they are sick or are in some form of discomfort. Some time you may see them opening their mouths which seems as if they are yawning. They have different shades and colors of patches and spots, which may range from black to bluish-green.

Freshwater Puffer Fish Care

When you buy a freshwater Puffer fish make sure that you buy a large enough tank so that it has enough space to roam about. Even though, Puffer fish may like freshwater, you should add a bit of salt in the environment in which they stay. The ideal temperature for this fish is in the range of 24 to 26 C. If the surrounding environment is taken care of, Puffer fish can survive for several years. While you introduce this fish, make sure that you don't have any plant in your aquarium, as these fish love having them. Make a few cave-like structures in the aquarium, so that the fish have some place to hide. Each species of Puffer fish may need different environment and water pH value, so make sure you ask the seller the exact environmental parameters before you buy them.

Freshwater Puffer Fish Compatibility

Usually, Puffer fish are peaceful when small, but may become aggressive towards other species when they become large. You can opt to include them along with other fish, but you need to keep an eye on them, lest they don't harm the other species. So it's better to keep Puffer fish either alone or along with fish of similar species. Though, there may be exceptions, but in general puffers may be aggressive and other fish may become easy prey. The Fahaka Puffers are quite aggressive and has a tendency to kill any other species.

Freshwater Puffer Fish Food and Diet

Most of the Puffer fish do not eat fish food which are commercially prepared. Baby Puffer fish enjoy having smaller krill, blackworms, mysis shrimp, bloodworms besides other frozen foods. On the other hand large the large ones like to have mussels, crickets, large krill, prawns, crab legs and shrimp. Make sure you give enough food to your puffers, or else they would starve and you won't want that to happen, isn't it? Feed the small Puffer fish once or twice a day and the larger ones at least three times a week. Moreover, you can also give them live blackworms, but make sure that you give them occasionally. The teeth of Puffer fish is strong enough to crack snail shells so you can provide them with one of their favorite meal, aquatic snails. When you introduce a new Puffer fish to an aquarium, it may not accept a whole range of food, so make sure to ask the seller about the kind of food you should give your new pet.

Thus, freshwater Puffer fish is an excellent option to use in your aquarium. I hope, this article has given you some interesting facts of these creatures.