Pignose Puffer

Distribution:
   The Pignose Puffer or Arrowhead Puffer is native to Southeast Asia in the Mekong River basin where it is generally found in the muddy substrate, though it is also found in rocky substrates as well.

Status:
   These fish are not endangered.

Description:
   The Pignose Puffer or Arrowhead Puffer is quite reminiscent of it's common names. It is a stocky fish that has a turned-up nose giving it a pig nosed appearance and a black V-shaped mark on the back of its head looking distinctly like an arrowhead. Like many of the pufferfish, coloring can vary with age, disposition, and environment. This pufferfish generally has a whitish underside and varying shades of gray above with green to yellow patterning.
   Pufferfish have the ability to 'puff' themselves up with water or air if threatened. When they inflate, their spines protrude outward and this apparently helps keep them from being eaten. Another defense of many puffer species is to produce toxic substances in their flesh that is poisonous if eaten. The Pufferfish can be quite long lived in the aquarium, many living for 10 or more years.

Size - Weight:
   These fish can get up to 5½ inches (14 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The Pignose Puffers or Arrowhead Puffers are are carnivores. Live or frozen/defrosted fish, shell on shrimp, or small crabs will be greedily eaten. Other foods include live or frozen mussels, cockles, and clams; snails; Tubifex; crustaceans; insect larvae; earthworms; krill; crayfish, ghost shrimp; occasionally tablets. This puffer should be fed every other day while small, decreasing this to just two or three times per week as an adult.
   Puffers have strong teeth that grow throughout their lives. They need to be offered hard shelled live food often to keep their teeth worn down. Acceptable foods include shellfish, crustaceans and hard shelled foods such as snails will help wear down the teeth. If the teeth get too long, they will be unable to eat, requiring the owner to clip the teeth.
   Since puffers do not have gill covers or scales, they are thought to be more susceptible to diseases, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. Consequently they are not a good fish to cycle an aquarium with. Also because they usually don't eat all of their food (messy eaters!), these fish will usually put more load on the aquarium filtration requiring more frequent water changes and better maintenance in general. A generous weekly water change of 30% to 50% is the standard recommendation for a puffer aquarium.
   This is not a particularly active fish so a tank of 30 gallons should be large enough to keep one happy. A freshwater species, this pufferfish should not be kept in brackish or salt water.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
  The Pignose Puffer or Arrowhead Puffer is quite inactive and will usually stay at or near the bottom of the tank.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temp: 74° - 82° F (23 - 28°C)
   pH: 6.7 - 7.7
   Hardness: 5-15 dH

Social Behaviors:
   The Pignose Puffer or Arrowhead Puffer can be extremely aggressive so they are candidates for a single species tank. If you feel you must have some other fish in the tank with them, try quick species that swim at or near the surface but after reading their description and our introduction...don’t say you weren’t warned!

Sexual Differences:
   Sexual differences are unknown though the females may be larger.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Has not been bred in captivity.

Availability:
   Although not considered rare, the Pignose Puffer or Arrowhead Puffer are only occasionally available.