All fish / Tetraodontidae

Banded Puffer

Colomesus psittacus

Also known as banded puffer, parrot puffer, south american banded puffer, large asell puffer, freshwater banded puffer, psittacus puffer, パロットパファー, 鹦鹉河豚, 南美横纹河豚

This large puffer has a pale or yellowish body crossed by broad black saddles, with a white belly and a blunt, parrot-like beak. Keepers value it for its bold character and the way it inspects its surroundings and its owner, though it needs a lot more space and specialist care than its smaller relative, the Amazon puffer.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

25 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.5

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Best kept alone or with robust brackish tankmates

Diet

Carnivore: snails, mussels, shrimp, crab legs, cockles and other hard-shelled foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Northern South America: Atlantic coastal estuaries and lower rivers from Venezuela to Brazil, including the Orinoco and Amazon deltas

Breeding

There are no reliable reports of it breeding in home aquariums. In the wild it seems to spawn in estuarine or coastal waters, so captive breeding is unlikely.

Good to know

Adults grow to about 25 to 30 cm, need brackish water with rising salinity as they age, and will bite fins and attack tankmates. The ever-growing beak must be worn down with hard-shelled food, and the flesh is toxic. Juveniles are often sold as freshwater fish and can be confused with Colomesus asellus.