A green spotted puffer fish is a unique and wonderful fish to own and care for. The fish acts like a puppy and will greet you with its eyes whenever you come near its tank. If you know how, you can even hand-feed the puffer fish. While most fishes rest and sleep afloat in the water, the green spotted puffer fish will sleep at the bottom of the aquarium. If you are looking for a unique fish to care for, take a look at the tips on how to raise a green spotted puffer fish.
- The green spotted puffer fish is not a freshwater fish. It is a brackish water fish so it will live better and longer in a saltwater aquarium. You need to install a hygrometer to monitor the salinity level of the water as the salt level will increase as the water inside the aquarium evaporates.
- Buy a green spotted puffer fish that is fairly young so that you will have a longer time to enjoy your pet as well as give it enough time to adapt to its new environment. Normally the puffer fish will have a white belly and green back with black spots. It can deceive you at times though, since the puffer fish can act like a chameleon and change the color of its belly to black and turn its back into a pale color. Do make sure that the black belly is not a sign of illness. If the green spotted puffer fish changes color regularly, it means that it is healthy and just trying to fool you.
- The fish has strong teeth which it uses to open mollusks and other crustaceans in the wild. Make sure that it has enough hard food to munch on so that its teeth growth will be arrested. It is also essential to give your puffer fish some hard food daily to prevent it from eating parts of your aquarium. Feed your green spotted puffer fish with the right food consisting of frozen or freeze dried plankton or krill, whole ghost shrimps, crickets, worms, small snails and glass worms.
- The puffer fish is a messy eater and produce quite an amount of waste therefore you need to have a good aquarium filtration system to keep the water clean. The fish does not have scales and its gills are not covered so it is quite sensitive that is why you have to install adequate filtration system and well as change the water frequently. This will prevent the growth of algae inside the tank. Since an algae-eating fish will not survive living with a puffer fish, you will have to remove the algae yourself if you allow algae to grow.
- The green spotted puffer fish is a voracious eater and has wild habits so it should be placed in its own fifteen-gallon tank. Use a bigger tank if you want to keep more than one green spotted puffer fish. It can attack other fish if you place it in a community tank. At the same time, there are also very few aquarium fish that will be able to tolerate the high salt content of the water wherein the puffer fish will thrive.
The puffer fish is quite inquisitive and likes to hide inside holes where it can rest and/or sleep. Add aquarium decorations that are strong enough for their sharp and pointed teeth with holes and crawl spaces where the fish can play. Add some decorative plants, too to make the aquarium look attractive. Monitor the condition of the water regularly to keep your pet puffer fish happy and healthy.