Green Spotted Puffer Fish – scientifically known as the Tetraodon nigroviridis or (syn) Dichotomyctere nigroviridis) – is one of the most beautiful species of pufferfish that are found in aquariums. This fish as you can guess from the name has bright green spots all over its body. Apart from this, it has a very unique shape that makes it interesting to look at. Green Spotted Puffer Fish lives in the Freshwater and brackish water habitats. According to experts, it lives long in the Brackish habitats. So, Green Spotted Puffer Fish gives you a choice of creating a freshwater or brackish tank habitat for your fish.
This is something that is not seen very commonly in most fish species. In its natural habitat, this fish is found in those areas that are closer to the sea, or oceans but are also connected to the rivers that supply fresh water. It creates a perfect habitat and living conditions for this fish to live and thrive. Also, these regions allow the growth of plants known as mangroves, these plants are an essential part of their natural habitat that protects them, and provides them food and shelter. This fish is found in various areas of South and Southeast Asia, including the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Bohol Sea, etc.
Basic Facts Table
| Family | Tetraodontidae |
| Lifespan | Up to 15 years |
| Size | Up to 7 inches |
| Colors | Green, Silver, Yellow |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Freshwater or Saltwater | Freshwater |
| Care Level | Medium |
| Compatibility | Peaceful Brackish, or Freshwater Tanks |
Tank Companions
Here is a list of the possible tank mates or tank companions of the Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
- Mollies
- Scat Fish
- Bumblebee fish
- Other Puffer Fishes
- Mono Fish
How To Select Tank Companions?
Keeping any fish species in the same tank with the Green Spotted Puffer Fish would be risky. This is because the Green Spotted Puffer Fish is one of those fish species that are highly aggressive and have a predatory nature. Meaning that you cannot put most of the freshwater or brackish water fish species in their tank as they would eat them. Also, you cannot put them with very peaceful or very aggressive fish species. If you put them with very peaceful fish species, it would be a disaster as the aggressive Green Spotted Puffer Fish would bully the peaceful fish in your tank.
If you have paired them with the very aggressive fish, it would also be a disaster as the Green Spotted Puffer Fish would keep fighting the other fish in your tank and the whole tank would become a battleground. For these reasons, it is very important to select the tank mates with great care. Here are some guidelines to help you select a suitable tank mate for the Green Spotted Puffer Fish. The first thing you need to do is make sure that the fish you are selecting for the tank of Green Spotted Puffer Fish, is capable of living in the same conditions.
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish needs a brackish water environment and habitat to live longer, meanwhile, most of the species of aquarium fish live in freshwater habitats. So, you will have to check if your fish can live in the same living conditions or not. If it can live in the same conditions, you can pair them. The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can also live in freshwater habitats, but the lifespan in freshwater habitat is much shorter as compared to brackish water. But this allows you to put them in a tank with freshwater fish species. Just make sure that the other living conditions such as pH, salinity, hardness, and temperature are similar for both species.
The next thing that you need to worry about is the size of fish that you want to pair with the Green Spotted Puffer Fish. The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can grow up to 8 inches, meanwhile, the smaller variants of this fish are less aggressive. You should select a fish species for their tank that has the same size. Fish that have the same size can defend themselves if they are attacked by the Green Spotted Puffer Fish. smaller members, however, will be eaten or bullied by the Green Spotted Puffer Fish in your tank. For that reason, it is important to not pair them with smaller fish species.
Also, pairing them with larger fish would be a mistake as the large fish may defend itself against the aggression of Green Spotted Puffer Fish, and things escalate in your tank. You also need to consider the nature of the fish you are introducing in the tank Green Spotted Puffer Fish. This is important because Green Spotted Puffer Fish is one of the most aggressive and predatory fish species. If the other fish is peaceful, it would get bullied by the Green Spotted Puffer Fish in your tank and this would impact the physical and mental health of the other fish in your tank. Select a species of fish that is not too aggressive or too peaceful, and can defend itself but won’t start fights.
Species Overview
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish is a species of fish from the family of Tetraodontidae. Fish from this family are known as the Pufferfish because they can puff. These fish can inflate their bodies when they are attacked or feel threatened. It makes them look bigger as compared to their predator and this is how most of them survive in marine, and brackish waters. Also, this fish contains poisonous toxins that it uses to kill other fish. After killing the prey, it eats them as a whole. This fish is not a good choice for a community aquarium, as you cannot pair it with most of the aquarium fish because of its violent nature.
However, its beautiful appearance and unique body shape make them a great choice for unique fish collectors. The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can live in different habitat conditions including freshwater and brackish habitats. This fish is naturally found in places that are close to the sea. It lives mostly in freshwater habitats. According to experts, its lifespan can be easily extended by keeping them in brackish tanks. If you can create a tank that replicates conditions where the sea and river meet. There is freshwater available but there is also saltwater, this mixture of two different conditions creates perfect living conditions for this fish to live and thrive.
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can be bred in captivity but it is a very difficult procedure that requires a lot of hard work and time. That is why most of the Green Spotted Puffer Fish that you will see in different aquariums are captured directly from their natural habitats. It is known as one of the most aggressive freshwater, and brackish fish species. The Green Spotted Puffer Fish is a predator species that likes to kill the prey and eat it.
So, if you are buying them to put in your community tank, you will be making a huge mistake. The Green Spotted Puffer Fish will eat all of the fish in your community tank within a few days. It is a very competitive fish that does not like the presence of other fish, either small or large in their aquariums. They only enjoy the presence of other Green Spotted Puffer Fish, and some Mollies, Scats, and other species. So, if you are looking forward to creating a tank of Green Spotted Puffer Fish, you can only add a few species of fish that are listed above.
Appearance
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish is a beautiful fish species that is known for the bright green spots that spread over its yellow body. Apart from green and yellow colors, the belly of this fish contains a white-yellow combination of colors. The white color fades into the yellow under the belly of the fish. The appearance and body shape of this fish is unique as compared to fish from other families. But it is a very typical body shape for a pufferfish. Their bodies are capable of sudden expansion, and that is why their bellies appear to be larger and thicker as compared to the rest of their body.
When a Green Spotted Puffer Fish is puffing, you will see that it appears like a ball that has been inflated. Puffing only happens when this fish is agitated or feels threatened. For example, if you put a predator fish in their tank, you will notice that your Green Spotted Puffer Fish is puffing. This puffing discourages the predator as the fish appears much larger and the predator cannot attack them. Also, this fish contains toxins that it uses to kill the predators and prey in its natural habitat.
The inner circle of the eyes of this fish is black, but the rest of the eye is yellow, which matches the normal body coloration of this species. It can grow up to 7 inches long, and wide, but this is the maximum growth limit that only a few Green Spotted Puffer Fish in perfect habitat conditions can reach. Most of the Green Spotted Puffer Fish can only grow up to 5 to 6 inches long. The longer members of your tank will be more aggressive as compared to smaller members of the tank. That is why a lot of fish keepers advise keeping only smaller Green Spotted Puffers in your tank.
Their tail fin is yellow from the middle, but this color fades towards the edges and edges become almost transparent. The fins near its head are also transparent, and fins at back and under the belly are also transparent or whitish in appearance. Green Spotted Puffers have a rounded body that allows them to quickly swim. The mouth of this fish is in the middle of its face, which is elongated in the forward direction. You may notice some color changes in different variants of this species as some contain greenish bodies and brown spots, while most in brackish water have a yellow body and greenish-black spots.
Origin/Native
It is native to the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and some countries in the Indian Ocean. It lives in many places in South Asia, and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries in the region. It is commonly found in those places where the mangroves grow. Mangroves provide them with perfect living conditions, shelter, and food.
Natural Habitat
The natural habitat of these fish is those places where rivers meet the seas. This type of habitat contains saltwater from the seas, and freshwater from the rivers. Which creates a unique habitat or living conditions for this fish to live and thrive. It also enables the Green Spotted Puffer Fish to live and thrive in all kinds of habitats including freshwater, brackish, and saltwater environments. This is unique to this family of fish.
Green Spotted Puffer Fish Lifespan
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can live for up to 15 years if it is provided with the perfect conditions that favor its health and lifespan. It can live for up to ten years in freshwater conditions and up to 12 years in brackish or saltwater conditions. According to expert fish keepers, their lifespan can be extended by keeping them in the freshwater habitats for the first few years and then transferring them into a brackish or saltwater habitat. The average lifespan of this inside the tank conditions is 10 to 12 years.
Habitat and Tank Conditions
If you want your Green Spotted Puffer Fish to live longer and stay healthier, you will need to provide them with perfect living conditions inside the aquariums. You can do this by creating a habitat in your tank that replicates the living conditions of their natural habitat. Also, you may have to create two tanks for keeping your Green Spotted Puffer Fish. A freshwater tank for the smaller, and younger Green Spotted Puffer Fish, and a Brackish tank for keeping the mature and large Green Spotted Puffer Fishes.
But if you don’t want to do that, you can keep them in the same tank and increase the salinity of your tank to some degree every year. This will allow you to accommodate their need for brackish water. Below are some of the important things that you need to work on to create a perfect habitat and living conditions for your Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
Tank Size
For the tank of Green Spotted Puffer Fish, you need a large tank. Selecting a large tank would allow you to put more than one Green Spotted Puffer Fishes in the same tank. Also, if you are looking forward to creating a community tank of the pufferfishes, you will need a large tank for that purpose as well. Smaller tanks of 30 to 40 gallons would not be suitable for keeping this aggressive and fast-moving species of fish. Meanwhile, a very large tank of 50+ gallons is the perfect choice for keeping the Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
A lot of fishkeepers select a vertical tank, or a tall tank is also a wrong choice. Instead, you should select a horizontal tank or a long and wide tank. This is because a long and wide tank will have more surface area that will allow more oxygen absorption which is important for the Green Spotted Puffer Fish. Also, a longer and wide tank will offer more space for your fish to explore. A taller tank would offer a smaller space, and that can lead to territorial fights between the members of your tank. That is why selecting a long, wide, less tall, and large tank is important.
When you are selecting a tank for your Green Spotted Puffer Fish, it is important to consider the number of fish and fish per gallon ratio of the members of your tank. After that, take an average using these numbers and that will give you the right size for your tank. For example, if you want to put five Green Spotted Puffer Fishes in your tank and the fish per gallon ratio is 10/1, then you will need a 50 gallons tank, which I mentioned earlier is an ideal choice.
Tank Setup
Once you have selected a tank for the aquarium of Green Spotted Puffer Fish, you will have to start working on creating a habitat inside that tank. To create a perfect habitat, you need to start from the bottom layer. Spread some gravel, and substrate in your tank at the bottom layer. After that, put some treated sand in the tank as well. This will help you create a comfortable bottom layer in your tank. Make sure that the gravel, substrate, and sand you are putting in the tank have been thoroughly cleaned and washed.
Putting anything without cleaning will put your entire ecosystem at risk. Also, gravel may contain contaminants, which would make the water unclear for weeks in your tank and would also negatively impact the health of your fish. Apart from these items, you also need to put a heater in your tank to maintain temperature. If you live in a moderate region, you only need a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
But in cold areas, you will need a heater to warm the tank. You also need to add a water filtration system to your tank. A water filtration system would help you maintain the water conditions and parameters in your tank and would keep the tank clean. Not only that, but it will also add movement and oxygen to your tank habitat. Other items that you need to put in your tank include aquarium lights, plants, caves, and other ornaments. These will help you create a tank habitat that resembles the natural habitat of the Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
Water Conditions/Parameters
Here is a list of the parameters that you need to maintain in the tank of Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
- Temperature between 78 to 82°F.
- pH level between 7.5 to 8.5.
- Salinity between 1.004 to 1.022.
- Hardness between 6 to 18 dGH.
It is very important to maintain these levels in your tank. These conditions directly impact the health and living conditions of your Green Spotted Puffer Fish. Any failure in maintaining these conditions can result in the death of your fish. Apart from sudden death, it can also deteriorate the health of your fish resulting in a short lifespan and diseases.
Water Source
You can use water from any source for the tank of Green Spotted Puffer Fish. If you are using a brackish habitat, you can use the water from brackish sources. But if you are using water from freshwater sources, you can also do that. Freshwater sources include rivers, lakes, streams, floodplains, and ponds. If your tap water is clean and has been tested and cleared for use in fish aquariums, you can also do that. You mustn’t add water from any untested source as it can contain pathogens and bacteria that can kill your fish.
Behavior and Temperament
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish is known for being an aggressive, hyperactive, and social species of fish. It lives in harsh climates, where it has adapted several techniques to protect itself against predators. For example, this fish can do puffing once it feels threatened. Its belly spreads wide and it becomes like a ball.
Apart from this, it also contains a toxin that can kill a lot of small fish species. This poison is present in the small thrones that are found on the body of this fish. It is also a protective mechanism to discourage predators. This fish itself is also a predator species of fish. It kills small fish, snails, and shrimps. You will also notice this behavior if you put them in a tank with smaller fish species, or snails or shrimps. That is why you should avoid this.
Breeding Green Spotted Puffer Fish
This fish is extremely hard to breed in captivity. The only recorded incident of successful breeding of Green Spotted Puffer Fish was done by researchers at the University of Florida. Where they used a scientific technique called the ovarian lavage technique to breed them in captivity. Here are a few reasons why it is extremely hard to breed this species in captivity.
- It is difficult to identify the male and female Green Spotted Puffer fish. Which makes it almost impossible to pair them in the right way in your tank. This reduces the chances of success significantly.
- Their breeding conditions are different from their living conditions and it is difficult to maintain those conditions in your tank for a long time. It would allow your fish to breed, but it can also kill the fish and that is why many fish keepers advise against it.
- The only way to breed them is to put them in the same tank, provide them with the best living conditions and hope that they will breed by themselves. Otherwise, you will also have to use the same technique developed by the scientists at the University of Florida to breed them.
Diet of Green Spotted Puffer Fish
The diet of Green Spotted Puffer Fish is an omnivore. It is a predator species of fish. They eat a lot of live animals and rarely eat plants or algae-based food. If you want to feed them in your aquarium, you will have to feed them live food and not just frozen meat and pellets or flakes. A balanced diet would keep your Green Spotted Puffer Fish healthy and alive for a long time. Shrimps, snails, planktons, bloodworms, and crickets for young Green Spotted Puffer Fish, and for adults, you will have to use crabs, oysters, lobsters, clams, squids, and snails.
Diseases of Green Spotted Puffer Fish
Here is a list of the possible diseases of Green Spotted Puffer Fish.
- Ich Disease: This is one of the most common fish diseases that happens because of the presence of a microbe in your water. This microbe comes into tank water as a contaminant and causes the Ich. you will notice the formation of small white spots on your fish. This is a highly contagious disease and you need to quarantine your fish, clean your tank, refill using clean water, and treat your fish with medicines.
- Fin and Tail Rot: Fin and Tail Rot is also a very common problem in these fish. It is caused by several different types of bacteria and fungi. It causes the fins of your fish to degrade and rot. It can be a serious and life-threatening problem in some cases. It is also a contagious disease. You can treat it with medicine, but you will have to work on improving the living conditions and cleaning your tank.
What is the Ideal Size For The Tank?
The ideal size for a healthy population of four to five Green Spotted Puffer Fishes is 40 to 50 gallons tank. You can use a smaller tank but that would cause multiple problems including territorial fights. That is why it is advised to use a larger tank.
Is Green Spotted Puffer Fish Saltwater or Freshwater Species?
The Green Spotted Puffer Fish can live in both saltwater and freshwater habitats. In the early days of its life, this fish prefers living in freshwater habitats, but as it ages, it can tolerate saltwater as well. You will have to adjust the salinity according to their age in your tank.
Is Green Spotted Puffer Fish schooling species or not?
No, the Green Spotted Puffer Fish is not a schooling fish. It is, however, a social fish species that likes to play with the members of its tank.
Conclusion – Is Green Spotted Puffer Fish Suitable For Your Aquarium?
Yes, it is a perfect choice for your aquarium. If you are looking for a fish that is of medium size, has unique features, and characteristics, it is a perfect choice for you. Also, this fish can live in multiple conditions, which makes it a unique type of fish. Although it is difficult to breed them in an aquarium, you can still learn about marine and saltwater fish species by keeping them in your tank.
FAQs
Question: Is Green Spotted Puffer Fish an Aggressive Species?
Answer: Yes, the Green Spotted Puffer Fish is an aggressive species of fish. It kills most species of aquarium fish if you keep them in the same tank. That is why you should only put them with appropriate tank mates.
Question: Are Pufferfish and Porcupines the same?
Answer: No, both of them are completely different. The pufferfish belong to the Tetraodontidae family, while the porcupines belong to the Diodontidae family.
Question: Can You Breed Green Spotted Puffer Fish In Captivity?
Answer: No, it is almost impossible to breed them in captivity. But there is a chance that your Green Spotted Puffer Fish may breed by itself without your intervention, but it is highly unlikely.
