TankBud

Red-tail dwarf puffer

Carinotetraodon irrubesco

Also known as Red-tailed Redeye Puffer, Sumatran Red Eye Puffer

FreshwaterFish

Red-tail dwarf puffer (Carinotetraodon irrubesco)
Neale Monks at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
1.8 in
4.5 cm
Minimum tank
17 gal
65 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Tetraodontidae
Origin
Sumatra, Borneo

Overview

The red-tail dwarf puffer is a tiny freshwater puffer for a heavily planted species tank. It is best kept by an experienced keeper.

Did you know

Male red-tail dwarf puffers can pop up a thin ridge along the belly and back when courting or facing a rival. That trick gives the genus its name, the comb or keel puffers.

Caring for the red-tail dwarf puffer

Keep a single red-tail dwarf puffer, or a small group, in a planted tank of at least 17 gal (65 L). It likes calm, densely planted water, with driftwood and leaf litter for cover. Lay a soft sand bed it can wallow and bury into, and use gentle filtration and subdued light.

Hold the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. It is sensitive to poor water quality, so keep nitrate low with regular water changes and stable, clean conditions.

Its teeth keep growing, so feed small hard-shelled foods such as tiny snails. Add frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp as well.

The red-tail dwarf puffer is one of the calmer puffers, but it can still nip. Give it a tank of its own rather than a busy community. Males can be territorial. Keep one fish alone, or a small harem with several females to each male if you have the space.

Males have a red tail and a red-rimmed eye, while females are browner and more patterned. Aquarium breeding is little documented.

Good to know

The red-tail dwarf puffer belongs to the family Tetraodontidae and is one of the smallest puffers. Like all true puffers, it has fused, beak-like teeth and can inflate.

In the wild

The red-tail dwarf puffer comes from soft, slow, tannin-stained streams and rivers on Sumatra and Borneo. The water there is often murky brown and gently acidic.

Common questions

What size tank does a red-tail dwarf puffer need?

A red-tail dwarf puffer needs at least 17 gal (65 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a red-tail dwarf puffer need?

A red-tail dwarf puffer is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a red-tail dwarf puffer eat?

A red-tail dwarf puffer eats small hard-shelled foods such as tiny snails, along with frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. The shells matter because its teeth keep growing.

How big does a red-tail dwarf puffer get?

An adult red-tail dwarf puffer reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).

How can you tell a male red-tail dwarf puffer from a female?

Males have a red tail and a red-rimmed eye. Females are browner and more patterned.

Related species