Tetraodon
palembangensis
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| Common Names: |
Palembang Puffer |
Also Known As: |
Humpback Puffer, Dragon Puffer |
| Synonyms: |
Tetrodon palembangensis, Tetraodon pinguis |
Family: |
Tetraodontidae |
| Origin: |
Asia; Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia |
Main Ecosystem: |
River |
| Salinity: |
Freshwater |
Temperament: |
Aggressive |
| PH: |
6.8-7.6 |
Temperature: |
76-84F (24-28C) |
| Maximum Size: |
8 inches (20cm) |
Minimum Tank: |
30 Gallons (US) |
| Activity: |
Lurker/predator |
Lifespan: |
10 |
| Gender: |
No sexual dimorphism |
Breeding: |
Unknown |
| Diet: |
They should be fed krill, shell on shrimp, crab legs, crayfish, live or frozen mussels, live or frozen clams, live crabs, live ghost shrimp. Feeder fish should not be fed, but if they are fed, they should first be quarantined to guarantee the health of the fish. |
| Care: |
These fish do well with either a gravel or sand substrate. As with all other puffers, this species should only be introduced into a fully cycled tank as they are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrites. They should be kept alone or with conspecifics. If more than one is going to be kept, the tank should be heavily planted and/or decorated to break line of sight. Because they are very messy eaters, 50% water changes should be done once a week as well as substantial filtration to prevent biological overload. |
| Notes: |
It it vital to train this fish to eat dead meaty foods in the place of feeders. This can be accomplished by dangling a piece of food, a shrimp for example, from a string in front of the fish and bouncing it lightly to simulate movement. Once this is accomplished, the fish will readily accept most frozen or dead foods. They will eat very large amounts of food at a time and because of this they should only be fed every other day while small, reduced to every 2-3 days around 2 inches, reduce to every 3-4 days around 4 inches, and then once a week around 6 inches. They have been kept successfully with T. suvatii in large, heavily decorated aquariums. |
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