Narrow-lined Puffer

About

The narrow-lined puffer (Arothron manilensis) is a medium-to-large pufferfish distributed across a broad sweep of the Western Pacific, from the Philippines and Borneo out to Samoa and down to New South Wales. In the wild it's equally at home over muddy coastal shallows, seagrass beds, sandy flats, and sheltered lagoons, with juveniles often tucked among mangrove roots. That kind of habitat flexibility hints at a fish that isn't overly fussy about its surroundings. Its name refers to the fine, closely spaced lines that run across its pale body, a pattern that sets it apart from the more boldly spotted members of the Arothron genus. Like all puffers it carries a fused beak-like dentition built for crushing hard-shelled invertebrates, so a varied carnivore diet including meaty foods and the occasional crunchy item is important for keeping those teeth worn down. It's a rewarding species for intermediate keepers who can provide a genuinely large system. These fish need space to roam, and they will investigate and mouth-test corals, inverts, and anything else they find interesting. Plan on a fish-only or fish-only-with-live-rock setup rather than a mixed reef. With proper care, a well-kept specimen can be a long-lived, personable centerpiece.