Spotted boxfish
Ostracion meleagris
Also known as Whitespotted boxfish, Blue boxfish, Pacific boxfish, Spotted trunkfish
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.0–8.4
- Adult size
- 7.9 in
- 20 cm
- Minimum tank
- 90 gal
- 340 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Own kind
- One male per tank
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe with caution
- Family
- Ostraciidae
- Origin
- Native to the Indo-Pacific, living on coral reefs and lagoon slopes where it drifts slowly over the bottom.
Overview
Keep a spotted boxfish in a peaceful tank of at least 340 litres with rockwork and calm tankmates, at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4. It is a slow, clumsy swimmer that is easily nipped or outcompeted, so avoid aggressive or fast fish. It is coral safe but may pick at small invertebrates, and the real risk is its toxin, so never house it with fish that harass it. Feed a varied diet of meaty foods, marine algae and some hard-shelled items several times a week.
In the wild
The spotted boxfish shows striking sexual difference: males are dark blue on the sides with a black white-spotted back, while females and juveniles are black all over with white dots. Its body is a rigid box of fused bony plates, so it swims by whirring its fins while the body stays stiff. It hovers and hums slowly over the reef looking for small prey.
Good to know
Ostracion meleagris can release a skin toxin called ostracitoxin when badly stressed, which in a closed tank can poison other fish and even the boxfish itself. Its body is encased in a solid carapace of fused hexagonal plates, leaving only the fins, mouth and tail free to move. Males and females are so differently coloured they were once mistaken for separate species.
Did you know
When it is severely stressed a spotted boxfish can leak a toxin into the water that is potent enough to wipe out every fish in the tank, including itself.
Common questions
What size tank does a Spotted boxfish need?
A Spotted boxfish needs at least 90 gal (340 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Spotted boxfish need?
A Spotted boxfish is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.0–8.4.
How big does a Spotted boxfish get?
An adult Spotted boxfish reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).
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