TankBud

Ceylon puffer

Dichotomyctere fluviatilis

Also known as Topaz puffer, Ceylon green puffer, Tetraodon fluviatilis

BrackishSaltwaterFish

Ceylon puffer (Dichotomyctere fluviatilis)
H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
6.7 in
17 cm
Minimum tank
34 gal
130 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Tetraodontidae
Origin
Found from India and Sri Lanka through parts of Southeast Asia, in slow fresh and brackish coastal rivers, estuaries and lagoons.

Overview

The Ceylon puffer is a brackish-water puffer that is safest kept as the only fish in its tank. Keeping it well takes a little experience.

Did you know

If a Ceylon puffer cannot crunch enough snails, its beak-like teeth overgrow and eventually stop it from eating.

Caring for the Ceylon puffer

Give a single Ceylon puffer a planted tank of at least 34 gal (130 L), with gentle flow and some shade. It is a messy, greedy feeder, so strong filtration is important.

Adults do best and live longest in brackish water, at a specific gravity around 1.005 to 1.015. Kept long term in pure fresh water, it tends to decline. Hold it at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5.

Feed a snail-heavy diet of ramshorn, pond and other hard-shelled snails to keep the teeth worn down. Add frozen shrimp, mussel and bloodworm.

It is aggressive and a fin nipper. If you add tank mates, select robust brackish fish with care. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The Ceylon puffer belongs to the family Tetraodontidae. It was long known as Tetraodon fluviatilis before it moved to the genus Dichotomyctere. Like all puffers, it lacks scales, can inflate with water to deter predators and carries the powerful toxin tetrodotoxin. Its four fused teeth form a beak that grows continuously.

In the wild

The Ceylon puffer lives in slow-moving fresh and brackish coastal waters, from river mouths to estuaries and lagoons. Its range runs from India and Sri Lanka through parts of Southeast Asia. Young fish are often found in fresher water.

Common questions

What size tank does a Ceylon puffer need?

A Ceylon puffer needs at least 34 gal (130 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Ceylon puffer need?

A Ceylon puffer is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a Ceylon puffer eat?

A Ceylon puffer eats a snail-heavy diet of ramshorn, pond and other hard-shelled snails, which keep its teeth worn down. Add frozen shrimp, mussel and bloodworm.

How big does a Ceylon puffer get?

An adult Ceylon puffer reaches about 6.7 in (17 cm).

Related species