Boxfish and Pufferfish
Members of the family Tetraodontidae, Boxfish, Puffers and their cousins Cowfishes and Porcupinefishes can be very personable and quirky pets, for the prepared.
They are not thought of as an ordinary aquarium tank mate, but are quickly gaining popularity. They do pose a hazard in the community tank however. They are capable of releasing a very powerful toxin which can kill other fish and in some cases, the boxfish itself. They generally only use it when threatened or dying, but can become disturbed easily with aggressive tank mates or overcrowded aquarium. Generally they are reef safe, though they will pick at invertebrates if not fed well enough.
Many people think puffed up Pufferfish, like in the picture, are cute, but an owner should never subject their pet to this as they are often unable to expel the air should they be out of the water. To prevent this, never remove a puffer from the water.
Canthigaster papua is a Pufferfish from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 10cm in length.
The longhorn cowfish, Lactoria cornuta, is a variety of boxfish from the Ostraciidi family, recognisable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull. They are a resident of the Indo-Pacific region and are usually around 10cm (4ins) long. Whilst badly suited to the home aquarium, the cowfish is becoming increasingly popular as a pet.
Adults are often solitary and territorial, live around sand or rubble bottom up to a depth of 50 m. They are omnivorous, feeding upon benthic algae, various microorganisms, and foraminiferans that it strains from sediments, sponges, polychaete worms from sand flats, mollusks, small crustaceans, and small fishes, able to feed on benthic invertebrates by blowing jets of water into the sandy substrate.
The long-spine porcupinefish is also known as the spiny balloonfish. Pale in colour with large black blotches and smaller black spots, these spots becoming fewer in number with age. Has many long, two-rooted depressible spines. Adults may reach 50cm in length.
Canthigaster rostrata is a Pufferfish from the Western Central Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 12cm in length.
The Black-spotted Puffer or Dog-faced Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus, is a pufferfish of the genus Arothron, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. It reaches a maximum length of 33 cm.
It has a round shape with a head and snout which at times looks like a seal or a dog. It can come in a variety of colors, although most commonly blue. The distinctive identifying item are the black spots. It feeds on algae, corals, sponges, sea squirts, crustaceans and molluscs.
Like most puffers, black-spotted puffers are highly poisonous, making them dangerous or even deadly to eat.
The White-spotted Puffer, Arothron hispidus, is a medium sized fish, light grey in colour with small white spots. It also has concentric contrasting white and dark grey lines that radiate around the eyes and pectoral fins, and this pattern gave rise to its alternate name Stars and Stripes Puffer.
* Found in: South-East Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific Ocean, east Pacific Ocean* Depth range: 3-30 meters
* Habitat: Reefs, lagoons, estuaries, tidal pools
* Diet: Fleshy calcareous or coralline algae, molluscs, tunicates, sponges, corals, zoanthids, crabs, polychaete worms, starfish, urchins, krill, silversides
* Activity: Juveniles found in weedy estuaries. Adults nocturnal, solitary, territorial.
* Semi-aggressive
* Maximum Length: 50 cm.
The narrow-lined Puffer, Arothron manilensis, is a puffer of the family Tetraodontidae, found in the western Pacific, Borneo, the Philippines, and northwest Australia to Samoa, northward to the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, southward to New South Wales in Australia and Tonga.
These puffers are also sensitive to nitrites and ammonia and should only be introduced into a fully cycled aquarium. High quality water is needed for these puffers to thrive, a sump or refugium is a good idea on a tank for this puffer. Diet - They feed on live and frozen foods, snails, freeze dried krill, frozen shrimp, bloodworms - live or frozen, crab legs, shell-on shrimp, crabs. The narrow lined puffer is a beautiful saltwater puffer. They will do well in a tank with live rock and enjoy searching the rock for living things to snack on. They are mild toward other fish, but are not reef safe as they will readily snack on many invertebrates found in a reef. They do tend to be more territorial and will not accept conspecifics.
Valentinni's sharpnose puffer, Canthigaster valentini, is a pufferfish of the genus Canthigaster, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. It reaches a maximum length of 11 cm. It is also referred to as a black saddled toby.
It has four distinct black stripes (saddles) on its back. The head is blue-grey and the main body is white speckled with blue-grey spots. The tail and fins show hints of yellow and there is a rainbow streek of color behind the eyes. It feeds mainly on algae.
Valentinni's sharpnose puffer is highly poisonous to eat.
C. valentini are occasionally found in schools together with Paraluteres prionurus, a non-toxic filefish which has evolved to mimic the very toxic C. valentini for protection against predators.
The Yellow boxfish, Ostracion cubicus, is a boxfish of the genus Ostracion, and can be found in reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the south eastern Atlantic Ocean. It reaches a maximum length of 45 cm.
As the name suggests, it is box shaped. When juvenile, it is very bright yellow in color. As it ages, the brightness fades and very old specimens will have blue-grey coloration with the faded yellow. It feeds mainly on algae, but will also feed on sponges, crustaceans and mollusks.
In 2006, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its Bionic concept car, inspired by the Yellow boxfish.