Mekong Puffer

About

Found lurking along the muddy and rocky beds of large rivers in the Mekong basin, Tetraodon suvattii is a compact freshwater puffer, note that despite the type listing, this is actually a freshwater species, reaching roughly two and a half to four and a half inches as an adult. Like most puffers, it spends the bulk of its time close to the substrate, and its natural habitat of turbid, sediment-rich river bottoms has shaped a fish that is more ambush predator than open-water cruiser. The Mekong basin spans some of Southeast Asia's most diverse river systems, and this species shares that environment with a wide range of other bottom-oriented fishes. In the aquarium, its relatively modest adult size makes it physically manageable, and it is listed as a beginner-accessible species, though prospective keepers should bear in mind that puffers as a group tend to be nippy and are generally best housed alone or with very carefully chosen tankmates. A species that rewards patient observation, it will spend much of its time resting near the bottom, which means a soft or sandy substrate will let it behave naturally and stay comfortable.