Care
The Red Eyed Puffer is known from slow-flowing rivers and standing freshwater habitats. This is a similar-looking species to the Red Tailed Red Eyed Puffer (Carinotetraodon irrubesco) but it attains a slightly larger adult size, and is altogether a rather more belligerent and territorial fish. It can, however, be kept in pairs (one male, one female) provided that the aquarium is of a good size and is well-furnished with a large number of visual barriers in the form of rocky caves, driftwood, and areas of dense planting. These puffers are best kept in a species-only situation as they will behave aggressively towards other species, and despite their relatively diminutive size, will bite at the fins and bodies of other fish, inflicting serious damage. They are also aggressive towards their own kind, which is why it is best to keep these fish singly or as a compatible pair only. Red Eyed Puffers are capable of fairly dramatic colour change, depending on their surroundings or mood. Males and females can also look so different to one another, that in the past, they have been mistaken for totally different species. Efficient filtration and frequent partial water changes are a must for these puffers, but do ensure that water movement is gentle. Also known as the Red Bellied Puffer.
Feeding
Meaty frozen foods such as brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp, mosquito larvae, chopped cockle and mussel meat, chopped shell-on prawns, small snails etc. Hard-shelled foods should be offered on a regular basis to help keep the beak in check.
Breeding
This species has been bred in the home aquarium, but it is not a frequent occurrence and is challenging because pairs are not always compatible. The water should be very soft and acidic, with the temperature set to the high end of the preferred range. The male will swim around the female in a lengthy and vigorous courtship ritual with his dorsal and ventral ridges erect. The eggs are released by the female over a pre-determined site (such as a clump of Java moss) and the male simultaneously fertilises them. The male takes on the brood care, chasing away the female before commencing to fan the mildly adhesive eggs with his pectoral fins. The eggs can be expected to hatch within 36-48 hours, and after a further 48 hours will become free-swimming. The parents will predate upon the fry at this stage, so they must be separated. Feeding the tiny youngsters can be especially difficult; even newly hatched brineshrimp is too large for them, so other miniscule foods such as Cyclops nauplii must be sourced beforehand.
