Marsh puffer

Pao brevirostris

Also known as Pao palustris, Tetraodon palustris, Redeye puffer brevirostris, Palustris puffer

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Mekong basin marshes
Family: Tetraodontidae

Overview

The marsh puffer is an aggressive ambush species that hunts from cover, so keep it alone; it does not tolerate its own kind and will bite tankmates, which makes a planted species tank the safe choice and any companions a real risk. It lurks among plants and roots in the middle and lower water, waiting for prey to pass. Its beak grows continuously, so feed hard-shelled foods such as snails and shrimp along with other meaty frozen items to keep it worn. Give it dense planting, driftwood roots, gentle flow, and clean water with low nitrate. A tank of around 160 liters or more suits a single adult.

In the wild

This puffer lives in weedy backwaters, marshes, and swamps of the Mekong basin, among dense aquatic plants and submerged roots. Recreate that with thick planting, tangled wood, a soft floor, gentle flow, and clean, stable water. Keep it warm at about 24 to 28 C and from mildly acidic to neutral, roughly pH 6 to 7.5, with low nitrate.

Good to know

A member of the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae, it reaches roughly 12 to 14 centimeters. It is also traded under the name palustris, described in 2013, which FishBase treats as the same fish, so both names turn up in shops. Aquarium breeding is not recorded.

Did you know

It hunts from inside dense weed beds, sitting motionless among the stems until a small animal wanders close, so the marsh it lives in serves as both its home and its hiding place.