How big does Porcupine Pufferfish get?

Porcupine Pufferfish reaches an adult standard length of 25–30 cm (excluding the caudal fin). Size the tank for that, not for the juvenile you bring home — the difference is often several times over, and upgrading later costs more than buying once.

What water does Porcupine Pufferfish need?

24–27 °C, pH 8.1–8.4, 7–12 dGH, 7–9 dKH, specific gravity 1.023–1.026. That is only 3 °C wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.

What is the smallest tank for Porcupine Pufferfish?

At least 400 L, and no shorter than 150 cm. That is the floor for long-term keeping, not for short-term survival: volume buys water stability and length buys swimming room, and neither substitutes for the other. It is not a schooling fish, so a single specimen or a pair is fine.

What is Porcupine Pufferfish like to keep?

Temperament: predator. Difficulty: moderate. It occupies the all levels and is carnivore. Reef safety is "Not reef safe".

Can Porcupine Pufferfish be kept with its most common tank mate?

The checker returns "Not recommended together". Porcupine Pufferfish and Blue Cleaner Wrasse is a recorded conflict in this atlas. Predation, territorial fighting or conspecific aggression is the usual outcome, and a bigger tank does not change it.

G-01 / 67Marine

Porcupine Pufferfish刺鲀

Diodon holocanthus · Diodontidae

Spiny, round and personable; inflates into a ball and eats anything small.

Illustration to come

G-01 / 67 · Porcupine Pufferfish Diodon holocanthus

SpecificationsFish atlas

Name: 刺鲀
Scientific name: Diodon holocanthus
Family: Diodontidae
Origin: Indo-Pacific and Atlantic coral reefs
Adult size: 25–30 cm
Temperament: Predator
Diet: Carnivore
Water level: All levels
Level: Moderate
Min. tank: 400 L
Min. length: 150 cm
Reef safe: Not reef safe

Water requirementsMarine

Temp.24–27 °C

pH8.1–8.4

Salinity1.023–1.026 SG

Alkalinity7–9 dKH

Units: temperature in °C, hardness in German degrees (dGH / dKH), marine salinity as specific gravity at 25 °C, volume in litres. These are the values recorded for the species and do not follow the site unit switcher.

Keeping notes

1Reaches about 30 cm; needs a big tank and heavy filtration for its waste load.
2Eats shrimp, crabs, snails and any fish it can fit in its mouth.
3Beak grows continuously; shelled foods are a daily necessity.
4Inflation is a stress response; move it in a container, never let it puff in air.
5Does not eat coral tissue but clears inverts off rock; effectively not reef safe.

Check a tank mate

Jump straight to the verdict for Porcupine Pufferfish against this one — no need to pick it again.

Frequently asked questions

How big does Porcupine Pufferfish get?: Porcupine Pufferfish reaches an adult standard length of 25–30 cm (excluding the caudal fin). Size the tank for that, not for the juvenile you bring home — the difference is often several times over, and upgrading later costs more than buying once.
What water does Porcupine Pufferfish need?: 24–27 °C, pH 8.1–8.4, 7–12 dGH, 7–9 dKH, specific gravity 1.023–1.026. That is only 3 °C wide, so stability matters more than hitting a particular number.
What is the smallest tank for Porcupine Pufferfish?: At least 400 L, and no shorter than 150 cm. That is the floor for long-term keeping, not for short-term survival: volume buys water stability and length buys swimming room, and neither substitutes for the other. It is not a schooling fish, so a single specimen or a pair is fine.
What is Porcupine Pufferfish like to keep?: Temperament: predator. Difficulty: moderate. It occupies the all levels and is carnivore. Reef safety is "Not reef safe".
Can Porcupine Pufferfish be kept with its most common tank mate?: The checker returns "Not recommended together". Porcupine Pufferfish and Blue Cleaner Wrasse is a recorded conflict in this atlas. Predation, territorial fighting or conspecific aggression is the usual outcome, and a bigger tank does not change it.