Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster Solandri)

Species Name : Canthigaster Solandri

Care Level : Moderate

Temperament : Peaceful

Color : Black, Tan, White

Diet : Omnivore

Reef Compatible : With Caution

Water Conditions : sg 1.020-1.025, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4

Max. Size : 4½"

Origin : Fiji, Indonesia, Sumatra

Family : Tetraodontidae

Minimum Tank Size : 50 gallons

The Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster Solandri), Canthigaster Papau, also known as the Hawaiian Blue Puffer or the Blue Spotted Sharpnose, has a winning personality and is a great fish for a fish-only tank. 

The Blue Spotted Puffer has beautiful iridescent blue spots on its body. It is sexually dimorphic, meaning males have conspicuous points in the middle of the back, and over the position of the gill opening - a feature that females lack. Their fan-like tailfin is orange with circular transparent spots. The nose protrudes outward with a small beak-like mouth used for probing small crevices. Their small adult size of about 4" makes them ideal for smaller aquariums. 

A 50-gallon or greater aquarium that is exclusively for fish is ideal. Have plenty of live rock for scavenging and shelter. It acclimatizes quickly to an aquarium life, and needs lot of hiding places with rocks and crevices. 

The Blue Spot Puffer is not considered reef safe because it nips at corals and has the ability to poison areas of the tank. It should be kept in fish only aquarium, and is highly recommended not to add multiple inhabitants in the same tank. The Blue Spot Puffer produces a toxin, which is known as tetradotoxin, in the skin and viscera that makes them unpalatable to most fish. 

A Blue Spotted Puffer’s diet demands an extensive diet of meaty foods, such as the clams, squid, and krill along with hard-shelled shrimp, to aid in the wear and tear of their growing teeth.