Diodon holocanthus
| Common Names: | Balloon Porcupinefish Balloonfish Blotched Porcupinefish Brown Porcupinefish Freckled porcupinefish Hedgehog fish Long Porcupinefish Spine Porcupine Puffer Spiny puffer |
| Synonyms: | Diodon hystrix holocanthus |
| Family: | Diodontidae |
| Category: | Tetradontiforms |
| Distribution: | Pacific - South; Wide-spread throughout the oceans near the sub-tropics. |
| Main Ecosystem: | Reef; Reef |
| Temperament: | Aggressive; Semi agressive to agressive fish which is not reef safe. The balloonfish will eat hermit crabs, snails, sea urchins, and shrimp living in your tank. They will also nibble on living reefs. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; Carnivore |
| Care: | Balloonfish eat snails, sea urchins, hermit crabs, krill, and shrimp. Can be taught to hand-feed with patience. In the wild they feed nocturnally which might help with a fussy eater. A large tank (minimum 125-150 gallons) is essential. They are very sensitive to changes in the water parameters and need to be acclimated carefully. Once settled in the Balloonfish is very active and does not mind high traffic areas. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 50cm (19.7") Female: 50cm (19.7") |
| Water Region: | Bottom; Bottom |
| Activity: | Nocturnal; Nocturnal |
| Gender: | Unknown |
| Breeding: | Not easily/normally accomplished in the typical home aquaria. |
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| Comments: | The Balloonfish can inflate taking water or air into its body as a form of protection against predators. Although nocturnal it will come out often during the day once settled in. |
| Main Colours: | Brown, Black |
| Markings: | Mottled |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Convex |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | ;Koi Keeper |
| Submitted By: | koi keeper |
| Contributors: | sirbooks |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
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