Facts and Information
Like many of its relatives, the Dogface Puffer will eat anything that will sit still long enough for it to take a bite of. Like the Parrotfish, Pufferfish graze on live rock and shelled animals to wear down the ever-growing beak-like teeth. In the wild, it feeds on corals (usually Acropora tips), crustaceans, mollusks, sponges, tunicates and algae. In captivity, most meaty foods are accepted in all the forms they come in (freeze-dried, frozen, fresh) and sometimes prepared foods like sticks or pellets are taken. Shell-on crustaceans are a favorite (suitable substitutes are small crayfish, ghost shrimp or small "freshwater" crabs, aka "mini-crabs"). Frozen foods formulated for marine angelfish contain many of these ingredients and will be taken with gusto, once they become accustomed to them. They were named "Pufferfish" for their defense of swelling their bodies by swallowing large amounts of water to make themselves "too big" for a predator to swallow. When relaxed, most puffers feel soft and supple, almost jelly-like to the touch, but when they "puff", the skin is stretched to reveal a covering of raspy covering of denticles on the belly. They often float to the top during these periods of defense and squirt water out of the aquarium and make grunting noises by grinding their teeth. Uncle Bill's also carries the Striped Dogface Puffer, though availability will vary.
Size - Extra Large
Possible Tankmates - Bursa Triggerfish, Brown Scopas Tang, Butter Hamlet