All fish / Tetraodontidae

Red-striped Puffer

Dichotomyctere erythrotaenia

Also known as red-striped toadfish, redstripe toadfish, redline puffer, red-lined pufferfish, samurai puffer, tetraodon erythrotaenia, red stripe puffer, buntal, 红纹河鲀

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A small, rounded puffer with a brown back covered in fine pale spots, a white belly and an orange to red stripe running along the flank where the two meet. It is kept for its lively, curious character and its striking stripe, and it suits keepers who already run brackish set-ups.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.5

Smallest tank

100 litres

Keep as

Best kept singly or in a carefully watched small group in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: snails, shrimp, bloodworm, mussel and other hard-shelled foods to wear down the teeth

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia (Queensland); estuaries and lower rivers

Breeding

It has not been reliably bred in home aquariums, and almost all fish sold are wild caught. Little is known about its spawning beyond what is typical for related puffers, which lay eggs on surfaces that the male guards.

Good to know

Despite being sold as freshwater, it does best in brackish water and is usually a fin nipper, so it should not share a tank with slow or long-finned fish. Like other puffers it can be toxic if eaten, and its teeth overgrow without hard foods.