Green Spotted Puffer

Dichotomyctere nigroviridis is one of the pufferfish known as the Green Spotted Puffer. It is found across South and Southeast Asia in coastal freshwater but survives the longest in brackish to saltwater and brackish water habitats. Dichotomyctere nigroviridis reaches a typical maximum length of about 15 cm (6 in) (5.9 in), with reports of up to 17 cm (6.7 in).

Dichotomyctere nigroviridis is frequently raised in aquariums. However, the species’ aggressive nature limits its ability to be housed with other fish. In captivity, specimens can grow up to 10 cm in length. The species is an omnivorous brackish water species and is most commonly raised in water with a pH level of 8. This species begins life in brackish water and progresses to saltwater.

A widespread species, being found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Occurs in brackish water in coastal areas; freshwater rivers, streams, lakes and flooded areas.

Maduru Oya River (Sri Lanka)

Aquarium size 48″ x 12″ x 12″ (120 x 30 x 30 cm) – 110 litres.

Best kept in a heavily planted setup with twisted roots and branches to provide additional cover, although soft-leaved plants may be chewed by the fish. Leave some open spaces in-between for swimming, as this is an active species. The use of a sandy substrate and floating plants to diffuse the light is also recommended. This species is very sensitive to deteriorating water conditions, so regular partial water changes are a must. Although it’s often considered a true freshwater species, it tends to be more long-lived with the addition of marine salt to an sg of around 1.005 in aquaria. It can also be maintained in freshwater, however.

Relishes all kinds of shellfish, as well as worms and other live and frozen foods. It should be fed snails and unshelled shellfish (such as crab legs, prawns etc.) regularly in order to maintain its sharp teeth. As with other puffers, these grow continuously and become a problem for the fish if they’re not kept ground down.

Can be kept in a community tank, but caution should be exercised when choosing tankmates, as it tends to nip the fins of slow-moving or long-finned fish. Some individuals also become particularly spiteful with age. It’s best kept with robust, active species such as scats, archerfish, Arius catfish and perhaps monos.

It’s not a good idea to keep more than one of these per tank unless a lot of space is available, as they’re usually pretty belligerent toward conspecifics. Males in particular will fight constantly. If you want to keep a group tries to buy at least 4 fish so that any aggression is dissipated to an extent and arrange the decor so that there are many hiding places.

Pufferfish are so-called as they have the ability to inflate their elastic stomachs with water or air. This is usually a response to some kind of threat, although in the aquarium many specimens appear to inflate themselves for no apparent reason. The fish becomes 2 or 3 times its normal size, which makes the fish both big enough to scare away many potential predators, and difficult to swallow.