Golden puffer

Care at a glance

Overview

The golden puffer is a fast, streamlined puffer with a fierce temper, and it is best kept as a single fish in a species tank. It is an aggressive fin-nipper that will not tolerate other fish for long, so do not try to add community tankmates. Even other golden puffers are risky, as some individuals attack their own kind. It is an active swimmer that needs open water as well as cover from plants and wood. Its teeth grow constantly, so feed hard-shelled foods such as snails, small shellfish, and shell-on shrimp along with frozen meaty foods. A single fish suits a tank of around 85 liters or larger with room to cruise.

In the wild

The golden puffer comes from the fresh waters of Borneo, where it patrols flowing rivers and streams as an active, open-water hunter rather than a lurking ambusher. It is a pure freshwater fish that likes clean, well-oxygenated water with a moderate current. Recreate that with strong but not violent flow, efficient filtration, and a mix of open swimming space and cover from driftwood, roots, and hardy plants. Keep the temperature from 23 to 28 C and the pH between 6 and 7.5. Like all puffers it is sensitive to poor water, so stay on top of maintenance.

Good to know

The golden puffer, also sold as the bronze or avocado puffer, is a member of the family Tetraodontidae. Adults reach about 11 cm and have a slim, torpedo-shaped body built for active swimming, unusual among puffers that tend to be rounder and slower. Its back shifts between gold, green, and bronze depending on the light. Like all true puffers it has four fused, beak-like teeth and can inflate with water when threatened. Aquarium breeding is undocumented, and fish in the trade are wild caught.

Did you know

Most puffers are rounded, slow-moving fish, but the golden puffer is built like a torpedo and swims fast in open water. That speed comes with a temper to match, and it is one of the more aggressive freshwater puffers, quick to nip fins and best kept entirely on its own.

Related species

• 

  Green spotted puffer

  Dichotomyctere nigroviridis

  5.9 in (15 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Ceylon puffer

  Dichotomyctere fluviatilis

  6.7 in (17 cm)34 gal (130 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Amazon puffer

  Colomesus asellus

  4.7 in (12 cm)26 gal (100 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Redeye puffer

  Carinotetraodon lorteti

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Figure Eight Puffer

  Tetraodon biocellatus

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Hairy Puffer

  Tetraodon baileyi

  5.5 in (14 cm)26 gal (100 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)