Arothron mappaThe Pufferfish is known for being very intelligent and has been known to recognize its feeder as well as perform small tricks. 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 like cardinals or gobies are not the best tank mates. Aggression can be amplified in smaller tanks. 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 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.
