Leopard Puffer

February’s Fish of the Month is the Leopard Puffer (Dichotomyctere nigrovirdis).  This puffer within the order of Tetraodon is also called the Green Spotted Puffer and occasionally Burmese Puffer.  Leopard Puffers are tropical brackish water fish that can grow to 6 inches and can live 10 years.  These fish are wild caught and available during most of the year.  They inhabit marine, brackish and freshwater habitats throughout parts of South and South East Asia.  Centreville Aquarium often stocks them on the African Cichlid system where the pH is high and the water is hard.  
     Puffers are often the cutest fish in the fish room.  It starts with their eyes that constantly follow the possibility of food.  Their swimming is just as adorable as they move their round little bodies with clear dorsal and pectoral fins.  Despite warnings, many Leopard Puffers have enticed unsuspecting community aquarium keepers into taking them home. Puffer fish have teeth that they use to eat shrimp, snails and smaller fish.  Hungry puffers quickly damage peaceful community fish.  Other aggressive fish can easily damage the soft fins of a puffer causing it to loose mobility, they are not good community fish.  

Keeping a happy Leopard Puffer is mostly about the food and water.  Newly acquired puffers should be offered frozen shrimp and worms.  Piscene mysis shrimp is a nutritious favorite followed by blood worms.  Live foods like ghost shrimp and snails help puffers wear their constantly growing teeth down.  As the puffer matures in freshwater they can get dark in color and loose appetite, signs that it needs more salt.  Crystal Sea salt is an excellent choice for your brackish water puffer.  The Leopard Puffer aquarium often accumulates enough salt to reach a specefic gravity of 1.019.  Realizing they now have a saltwater tank many hobbyist successfully keep a Damsel or Clown fish with their Leopard Puffer.  Although the Leopard Puffer can puff, puffing is a sign of stress that can lead to illness.  Don’t miss the puffer fish selection next time you visit Centreville Aquairum.