Dwarf Puffer

About

Native to the streams of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, Carinotetraodon salivator is a dwarf puffer that packs an outsized attitude into a very small frame. In the wild it inhabits fast-moving waterways with mixed substrates, soft silt in some stretches, sand in others, along with leaf litter and submerged wood, so replicating that kind of varied, broken-up environment in the aquarium will help it settle in well. Like most puffers it is a dedicated carnivore, and getting it to thrive means offering a rotating menu of meaty foods such as snails, bloodworms, and small crustaceans. Hard-shelled prey items are particularly useful because they help wear down the fused teeth that puffers are prone to overgrowth with. Personality-wise, expect the same bold, inquisitive nature the puffer family is known for. These fish will follow your movements around the tank and investigate anything new with genuine curiosity. That said, they can be nippy toward tankmates, so keeping them with anything slow-moving or long-finned is generally a bad idea. A species-only or carefully chosen setup suits them best. With a potential lifespan stretching close to a decade, this is a rewarding long-term project for a keeper who has moved past the beginner stage.