Target puffer

Care at a glance

Overview

The target puffer is a classic ambush puffer with a quick temper, so keep it alone; it does not tolerate its own kind and will attack tankmates, which makes a species tank the safe default and any companions a real risk. It settles on the bottom and waits in the lower and middle water for prey to pass. Its beak grows continuously, so feed hard-shelled foods such as snails, clams, and shrimp, along with other meaty frozen items, to keep it worn down. Give it a soft sand floor it can settle into, some cover, and clean, well-filtered water. A tank of around 200 liters or more suits a single adult.

In the wild

This puffer lives over sandy floors in the rivers and reservoirs of the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins in mainland Southeast Asia. Recreate that with a soft sand bed, driftwood and rock cover, gentle to moderate flow, and clean, stable water. Keep it warm at about 24 to 28 C and from mildly acidic to neutral, roughly pH 6 to 7.5, with low nitrate.

Good to know

A member of the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae, it reaches about 16 centimeters and carries a dark, ringed eyespot on the flank that gives it the target name. Its beak, like that of all puffers, grows throughout life and must be worn down on hard foods. It was formerly placed in the genus Tetraodon and now sits in Pao. Aquarium breeding is not recorded.

Did you know

The dark, ringed spot on its flank looks like a painted bull's-eye and gives it the target name, while the species name leiurus means smooth-tailed, describing the plain, unmarked base of the tail.

Common questions

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