192. Saltwater Pufferfish

It’s hard not to love pufferfish. They have many great qualities that can make them an excellent candidate for a truly interactive pet fish. They also, unfortunately, have a “bite first, ask questions later” tendency that other fish and corals don’t really like. In this episode, we discuss a variety of saltwater puffer species that are available in the aquarium hobby, as well as care requirements, tank mates, reef-safeness, and more!   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery   Species mentioned in this episode: Porcupine puffer, diodon holocanthus Webbed burrfish, chilomycterus antillarum Stars and stripes puffer, arothron hispidus Dogface puffer, arothron nigropunctatus Mappa puffer, arothtron mappa Immaculate puffer, arothron immaculatus Narrowlined puffer, arothron manilensis Guineafowl puffer, arothron meleagris Masked puffer, arothron diadematus Birdbeak burrfish, cyclichthys orbicularis Milk spotted puffer, chelonodontops patoca Green spotted puffer, dichotomyctere nigroviridis Blue jewel puffer, canthigaster solandri Papuan toby, canthigaster papua Caribbean sharpnose puffer, canthigaster rostrata Valentini puffer, canthigaster valentini Leopard sharpnose puffer, canthigaster leoparda Goldface toby, canthigaster jamestyleri   Sources referenced in this episode 1. Stump, E. Et al. Global conservation status of marine pufferfishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae). Global Ecology and Restoration 14, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00388 2. Gladstone, W. The courtship and spawning behaviors ofCanthigaster valentini (Tetraodontidae). Environ Biol Fish 20, 255–261 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005296 3. Zhu, H., Sonoyama, T., Yamada, M., Gao, W., Tatsuno, R., Takatani, T., & Arakawa, O. (2020). Co-Occurrence of Tetrodotoxin and Saxitoxins and Their Intra-Body Distribution in the Pufferfish Canthigaster valentini. Toxins, 12(7), 436. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12070436 4. Large Saltwater Pufferfish for Big Tanks. Hobbist Tropical Fish Magazine by Mark Denaro, https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/saltwater/large-saltwater-pufferfish-for-big-tanks 5. Fishbase.se Web link: https://fishbase.se/Nomenclature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_value=Canthigaster&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_operator=CONTAINS&crit2_value=&typesearch=simple&group=summary&backstep=-2&sortby=sciname 6. National Aquarium. https://aqua.org/explore/animals/striped-burrfish 7. Palacios, M. M., Muñoz, C. G., & Zapata, F. A. (2014). Fish corallivory on a pocilloporid reef and experimental coral responses to predation. Coral Reefs, 33(3), 625–636. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-014-1173-y 8. Moura, R. D., & Castro, R. M. (2002). Revision of Atlantic sharpnose pufferfishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae: Canthigaster) with description of three new species. PROCEEDINGS-BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, 115(1), 32-50.