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Overview:

The order Tetraodontiformes contains Porcupinefish, Triggerfish, Boxfish and the Pufferfish are almost entirely found in the tropics and subtropics. Only a small amount are found in fresh and brackish water and they all belong to the pufferfish family. One of the more common of the "rare fish" The Green puffer needs special care and should only be kept by the more advanced hobbyist. This fish is usually wrongly named Tetraodon fluviatilis.

Listed tank sizes are the minimum
Size:	Up to 6 3/4 inches (17.0 cm)
Tank:	48 inches
Strata:	Bottom, middle
PH:	7.5 to 8.5
Hardness:	Medium to medium hard
Temperature:	75° to 82°F (24 to 28°C)

Classification:

Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Suborder:	Tetraodontoidei
Family:	Tetraodontoidae
Genera:	Tetraodon

Green Puffer, Puffer.

Additional species photographs

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Distribution

Tropical Eastern Asia, from then coastal regions of Indochina and the Philippines to India. Found in fresh and brackish waters.

Very thick set and shaped like a blunt club. They have protruding eyes and a very broad forehead. The Caudal fin is fan shaped and there are no Ventral fins. The body is somewhat covered with small spines and the skin has a leathery texture.

The color is variable depending on age and the origin of the fish. In mature specimens the top and head area is marked with large Brown or Black spots. The spots on the side are smaller and also round in shape. The body color between the spots is a beautiful Emerald Green color which makes a nice contrast to the dark spots. The bright Green color is subdued in younger specimens. The fins are semi transparent with a slight Yellow tint to them.

The most recognizable trait of the Puffer is its' ability to inflate a sac like area of the gut with water or air to inflate themselves into the shape of a ball. Most puffers are undemanding in their care and many of the Brackish species can be acclimated to hard, alkaline water fresh water. Tetraodon nigroviridis is one of these species. They are not hard to feed and usually will accept all types of flake, frozen and live food. In the wild they feed on small mollusks and invertebrates. The Green puffer will come to recognize its owner and will get excited when you approach. The tank setup should contain plants and rockwork for hiding as well as open areas for swimming. They are best kept singly or with other large tough fish.

A coastal area brackish setup. A species tank.

Not a lot is known of their breeding and it probably can only be accomplished in Brackish water. During courtship the pair will swim around each other just above the bottom of the tank. Pale clear eggs are laid tightly packed on rock surfaces. The male will protect the brood and uses his body to cover the eggs. The eggs hatch in about a week and the male will transfer the tadpole like fry to shallow pits and continue to guard them. The fry can be hard to raise and feeding them can be difficult, you should try a variety of small food including Brine shrimp nauplii and observe which type they are eating. The mortality rate on the spawn is usually high.

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From: Hannah Date:7/5/2008 The obscene amount of missing information here is shocking. It should be made much more clear that Green Spotted Puffers should be kept in a high end brackish tank (made with marine salt- NOT aquarium salt) or their immune systems will weaken and there is a huge chance they will die in a few short months to a year or two. These fish can live over 15 years in proper conditions. It's also not stressed enough that these, and most puffers, are extremely aggressive and will not hesitate to take large bites out of other fish (even ones much larger than themselves), they are really only suited for a species only tank. Those that commented on keeping their puffers with other fish will wake up one morning to a shock when their tank is left in ruins by the puffer. Most people who keep these fish raise them with the intent of keeping them in full marine tanks, GSPs are well known for thriving in saltwater tanks, only in saltwater conditions is it really possible to keep these fish with tank mates, and even then there is a huge risk involved. -Hannah- GreenSpottedPuffer.net Hannah, I would gladly accept a re-write with your information if you are willing to do it. Badman From: JL Date:8/24/2007 I have had a green spotted puffer now for 3 years in a heavily brackish 29 gal tank. He seems pretty happy and healthy. I feed him a mix of fresh shrimp pieces and bloodworms frozen into ice cubes. They float on the top while he feeds, and the ice is crunchy. Seems to be fine chipping away at the ice to get at the good stuff inside. I occasionally give him pond snails, which I got from the local pet store and am breeding in a separate freshwater tank. When he was younger, I used to have to smash the snails before giving to him to get him interested in them as food. He is the cutest little creature and I love him to bits. From: Justin Date:12/27/2006 There is a WHOLE BUNCH of info missing from this profile! I am shocked that a few of the most important parts of keeping these fish are totally missing!!! First of all, they are NOT in any way fresh water fish and cannot be acclimated to fresh water long term! They will die after a year or two. They should live 20 years! They are high end brackish water or marine fish. They can start in low end brackish (sg. 1.005) but need to be raised to around sg. 1.010 by the time they are 3" and sg. 1.015+ by the time they are 6". I would recommend a bit higher though. The other thing missing is diet! They need crunchy foods such as snails or mussels, ect. To grind their teeth down and prevent them from over growing! They eventually will stop eating and die if their teeth get too big. Once a week feedings of shelled foods is best. As for stocking, the minimum would be about 30G per Puffer. Be careful with more than one puffer in any sized tank though, as they can get very aggressive towards each other!!! These fish are very sensitive to water conditions and need perfect conditions before being introduced to an aquarium. NEVER add them to an uncycled tank. They may live through it but will be very stressed by a cycle and often develop other disease or become very stunted. They are very great fish to keep but not as easy as most people think! Good luck and enjoy your puffers! From: Justin Date:6/3/2006 I have just recently got two of these little guys, at this point they are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and they are quite amusing. I have noticed they are chasing each other around the tank but so far nothing is missing off of one another. I feed them dried krill although I may get a couple of ghost shrimp and put them in since I do recall the lady at the store stating they made this mistake and they began eating them. I make sure their water is around 75 degrees and add a tablespoon of aquarium salt (adjust as needed as you may need more) and they are beautiful to look at every day while we eat at our dinner table. Obviously from other messages I have read I will be investing in a larger tank as it was not disclosed to me that they became so large which is just fine with me!! From: John Heckert Date:10/25/2004 I have two GSP's about an inch and a quarter each. They love to each the ghost shrimp I put in. They also like to eat fresh clam and oyster from the local grocer. I put in guppy babies for feeders but they cannot catch them and now I have a dozen guppies growning in with them. They have some trouble catching the ghost shrimp but it is entertaining watching them chase the shrimp until they catch one. Other than the shrimp fetish they have they are quite peaceful w/ the guppies and each other. From: Jason Date:5/31/2004 Have kept these fish in the past. Most people make the mistake of keeping them in a freshwater aquarium. These fish should be kept in brackish water and need to go to full marine as adults. They will live up to 20 years in these conditions. They will die very young if kept in freshwater. There immune system just cant handle and breaks down. I would also advice keeping them in a species tank or maybe a Ceylon puffer but nothing else. You also should feed crunchy food such as snails, shrimp, scallops, etc. Their teeth are constantly growing and need these to file them down. If you follow these instructions your puffer will have a long and happy life. From: Morg Date:12/02/2003 I've had several of these puffers that I keep in a brackish tank with low Spec. Grav. They take food from my fingers, including bloodworms, crabs, brine, snails, mussel, and frozen squid. They also have this amusing habit of curling up at the bottom of the tank and napping at night and mid afternoon, between feedings. I always think they are sick, but when they see my big face, the come up to the top for food. I keep mine with a stonefish, a moray, monos, archers, scats, blackfinned shark cats and some sailfin mollies. They get along well if they are all fed! From: t.holl Date:3/15/2003 What a fish! I suggest them highly. They have looks, personality, and are (at least in my opinion) pretty friendly fish. I had two that lived quite happily with two golden Gourami's, four serpae tetras and one betta. (The betta was not such a good idea...we kept an eye on the tank for about five hours with no problem. I turned my back and the puffer relieved the betta of about half of his fins.) The betta was traumatized and now resides in a new 5 gal apartment. I cant stress doing your homework on these fish BEFORE buying. I learned the hard way! Great fish! 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