TankBud

Marsh puffer

Pao brevirostris

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

FreshwaterFish

Marsh puffer (Pao brevirostris)

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
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Tetraodontidae
Origin
Mekong basin marshes

Overview

The marsh puffer is an aggressive puffer that hunts from cover in a densely planted tank. It is a puffer for a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

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

Caring for the marsh puffer

Give a single adult marsh puffer a tank of at least 42 gal (160 L). Plant it densely, with tangled driftwood roots and a soft floor. It lurks among the plants and roots in the middle and lower water.

Keep the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C), mildly acidic to neutral, at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Give it gentle flow and clean, stable water with low nitrate.

Its beak grows continuously. Feed hard-shelled foods such as snails and shrimp to keep it worn, along with other meaty frozen items.

The marsh puffer is aggressive, so keep it alone. It does not tolerate its own kind and will bite tank mates, which makes a planted species tank the safe choice. Treat any companion as a real risk. Aquarium breeding is not recorded.

Good to know

The marsh puffer is a member of the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is also traded as palustris, a name described in 2013. FishBase treats palustris as the same fish, so both names turn up in shops.

In the wild

The marsh puffer lives in weedy backwaters, marshes and swamps of the Mekong basin, among dense aquatic plants and submerged roots.

Common questions

What size tank does a marsh puffer need?

A marsh puffer needs at least 42 gal (160 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a marsh puffer need?

A marsh puffer is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a marsh puffer eat?

A marsh puffer eats hard-shelled foods such as snails and shrimp, plus other meaty frozen items. The hard foods keep its ever-growing beak worn.

How big does a marsh puffer get?

An adult marsh puffer reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

Related species