Dogface Pufferfish – Philippines

Arothron nigropunctatus

The Pufferfish is known for being very intelligent and has been known to recognize its feeder as well as perform small tricks. The Dogface Pufferfish will change its appearance during different stages of its life. Be aware that this fish can be semi aggressive and is known to nip on tank mates’ fins. When choosing tank mates be sure to pick other semi aggressive fish that can stand up against the puffer. So smaller and/or timid fish are not the best tank mates. Aggression can be amplified in smaller tanks. They can grow to be over foot in size and will need an aquarium with substantial swimming space. The Pufferfish is not considered reef safe since they prefer to eat sessile invertebrates. For continued health, provide a varied diet of meaty foods, such as chopped seafood, multiple times a day. Since they have beaklike teeth, they need to be fed foods with a shell to keep them from overgrowing. Cautionary note, all puffers have teeth and can easily chew any wires that are in their reach in the aquarium. This fish will inflate its body when threatened, to prevent this from happening try using a container when transferring instead of the net to avoid them from ingesting air. This genus of Puffers lacks pelvic fins and mostly depends on their pectoral fins to move around. The Dogface Pufferfish are found in the Indo-Pacific inhabiting coastal to outer reef crests and slopes up to 60 meters deep.