TankBud

Red-striped puffer

Dichotomyctere erythrotaenia

Also known as Samurai puffer, Ninja puffer, Red-striped toadfish, Tetraodon erythrotaenia

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
6.8–8.0
Adult size
3.3 in
8.5 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Tetraodontidae
Origin
Southern New Guinea rivers

Overview

The red-striped puffer is a small but aggressive puffer for a species tank of its own. It takes some experience to keep.

Did you know

A single bright orange line runs the length of the red-striped puffer's dark body, like trim along the side of a car. That stripe is why it is also traded as the red-striped toadfish and the samurai puffer.

Caring for the red-striped puffer

Give a single adult red-striped puffer a tank of at least 29 gal (110 L). Use a sand floor with driftwood and rock for cover. It works the middle and lower water.

Keep the water hard, neutral to alkaline, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.8 to 8.0. Give it gentle to moderate flow and clean, stable conditions with low nitrate.

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

Keep the red-striped puffer alone. It does not tolerate its own kind and will bite tank mates, so a species tank is the sensible default. Treat any companion as a risk. Aquarium breeding is not recorded.

Good to know

The red-striped puffer is a member of the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Tetraodon and now sits in Dichotomyctere. It is also sold as the ninja puffer.

In the wild

The red-striped puffer comes from the lowland rivers and coastal streams of southern New Guinea, some of them tidal. The water there tends to be hard and alkaline.

Common questions

What size tank does a red-striped puffer need?

A red-striped puffer needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a red-striped puffer need?

A red-striped puffer is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 6.8–8.0.

What does a red-striped puffer eat?

A red-striped puffer eats hard-shelled foods such as small snails and shrimp, plus other meaty frozen foods. These keep its ever-growing beak worn down.

How big does a red-striped puffer get?

An adult red-striped puffer reaches about 3.3 in (8.5 cm).

Related species