TankBud

Ocellated puffer

Leiodon cutcutia

Also known as Tetraodon cutcutia, Emerald puffer, Cutcutia puffer

FreshwaterFish

Ocellated puffer (Leiodon cutcutia)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Tetraodontidae
Origin
Ganges and Brahmaputra lowlands

Overview

The ocellated puffer is an aggressive freshwater puffer for a well-planted species tank. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The ocellated puffer is one of the few freshwater puffers that will readily spawn in aquariums.

Caring for the ocellated puffer

Give a single adult ocellated puffer a tank of at least 29 gal (110 L). Plant it well, with driftwood, cover, a soft floor and gentle flow. It moves through the middle and lower water among the plants.

Hold the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8. Keep it clean and stable, with low nitrate.

Its beak grows for life. Feed hard-shelled foods such as pond and ramshorn snails to keep the teeth trimmed, plus shrimp and other meaty frozen foods.

The ocellated puffer is a classic grumpy freshwater puffer and is best kept alone. It is aggressive toward its own kind and toward tank mates, so a species tank suits it. Treat any companion as a risk, with great caution.

A pair spawns on a flat surface, laying a single layer of eggs. The male guards and fans the eggs until the fry hatch about a week later. Breeding it takes some experience.

Good to know

The ocellated puffer is a member of the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It is olive to emerald green, with a dark eyespot near the base of the tail. It is sometimes sold as the emerald puffer. It was long known as Tetraodon cutcutia and was returned to the genus Leiodon in a 2013 review of Southeast Asian fishes.

In the wild

The ocellated puffer lives in lowland ponds, ditches and slow rivers of the Ganges and Brahmaputra plains and nearby parts of South Asia. The water there is warm and weedy.

Common questions

What size tank does an ocellated puffer need?

An ocellated puffer needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an ocellated puffer need?

An ocellated puffer is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does an ocellated puffer eat?

An ocellated puffer eats hard-shelled foods such as pond and ramshorn snails, plus shrimp and other meaty frozen foods. The snails keep its ever-growing teeth trimmed.

How big does an ocellated puffer get?

An adult ocellated puffer reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does an ocellated puffer breed?

Ocellated puffers spawn in pairs on a flat surface, laying a single layer of eggs. The male guards and fans them until the fry hatch about a week later. Breeding takes some experience.

Related species