Papuan Toby Puffer – Canthigaster papua

The Papuan Toby (Canthigaster papua) has a red-brown body covered in small bright blue-green dots. Orange markings highlight its mouth and there is a black spot at the base of the dorsal. This toby is very similar to the Spotted Toby (C. solandri) and the two were once thought to be the same species. There are, however, small differences in coloration between the two species as well as in the geographic ranges of the fish. The Spotted Toby is more widespread than the Papuan Toby, and the Papuan Toby has more orange in its underside.

Puffers are not too demanding in terms of care, but they need plenty of space and ample filtration to keep the water quality pristine. They’re messy eaters, and the diet required for these fish can leave a lot of waste. Puffers have strong, ever-growing front teeth (beak) that they will need to wear down. They may chew on live rock in the tank to aid in the process. Feeding hard-shelled items, such as whole clams or shellfish, can also help to keep the teeth worn.

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