Tetraodon fluviatilis ( green puffer ) Hamilton, 1822

*aka:  green spotted puffer, spotted puffer, leopard puffer, yellow puffer, common puffer.
 
The green puffer (T. fluviatilis)
Origin India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam
pH Range  7.5 - 8.5
Temp.   75 - 82F (24 - 28C)
Hardness  9- 20 dH 
Salinity  brackish to full marine
Length  to 6 inches (15 cm) 
Diet  live, frozen

T. Fluviatilis is a brackish water pufferfish from southeast Asia.  It inhabits estuaries, backwaters, and other slow-moving bodies of water.  These puffers prefer shaded areas and feed on mollusks, invertebrates, and fry.  It will scavenge as well, feeding on carrion from time to time.  Its diet has also been known to include limited types of plants.  The female lays a clutch of 150-200 eggs onto a flat surface and guards them until hatched.  There have been reports of fry being guarded as well.  Both males and females of this species exhibit dioecism.
Green puffers are notorious fin-nippers. They can be quite aggressive with other fish, and should be given lots of room in their tank.
One of the most commonly sold puffers, it is often confused with t. nigroviridis, and also t. schoutedeni.   In short, T. fluviatilis is torpedo-shaped with a smooth belly, while T. nigroviridis and T. schoutedeni are more club-shaped, with T. schoutedeni having backward pointing spines along its underbelly.  Identifying these similar looking fish is important, since one is brackish and the others are fresh.  You can view an in-depth differentiation of these species here.
 
 

Share or read experiences with the green puffer  [ share ] [ read ]

home ][ anatomy ][ tetrodotoxin ][ setup ][ plants ][ diet ][ species ][ partners ][ pathology ][ holistic ][ credits ][ search ][ email