All fish / Tetraodontidae

Crowned Toby

Canthigaster coronata

Also known as crowned puffer, crowned sharpnose puffer, three-barred toby, saddled toby, crown toby, crowned pufferfish, no, シマキンチャクフグ, buntal, 冠帶尖鼻魨, 冠带扁背鲀

A small sharpnose puffer with a whitish body, four dark saddles across the back and fine yellow and blue spots and lines. Keepers like it for its inquisitive personality, hovering swimming style and modest adult size compared with larger puffers.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

11 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

Single specimen, or a mated pair in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: chopped shrimp, mussel, clam, squid, krill and snail-on-shell foods to wear down the teeth

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

Pairs lay demersal eggs on algae or the substrate, which the male guards briefly before larvae hatch. Captive breeding is rare because the tiny pelagic larvae are very hard to rear.

Good to know

Not reef safe, as it nips at invertebrates, corals, ornamental shrimps and the fins of slow fish; its skin and organs contain tetrodotoxin, so never eat it and avoid keeping it with predators that might swallow it.