Bennett's Toby

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Tropical Indo-Pacific, widely distributed from the Red Sea to South Africa, Hawaii, and Tuamotu. Inhabits shallow grassy lagoons and coral reefs.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Family Tetraodontidae. Commonly known as Bennett's Toby. Compressed pear-shaped body, beak-like mouth with teeth fused into plates, independently moving eyes. Maximum length 10 cm.

Social Behavior: Curious, intelligent, and semi-territorial. Active swimmer, exploring every corner of the tank. May be aggressive toward same-sex conspecifics.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Greenish-brown body covered with fluorescent blue-green dots and orange stripes around the eyes and back. No obvious sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a tank of at least 120 liters with plenty of live rock to search for food and open swimming space.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivore. Feed with hard-shelled crustaceans (krill, clams, unpeeled shrimp) to wear down their continuously growing teeth. Supplement with algae sheets.

Water Quality: Stable parameters: temperature 22-27°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025. Sensitive to nitrate accumulation.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Tends to nip at the long fins of slow fish. May nip at sensitive SPS/LPS corals and prey on small ornamental shrimp.

Aquarium Reproduction: Rare. Spawns adhesive eggs on algae or rocks, which the male guards until hatching within a few days.

Risks and Diseases: Can release toxins (tetradotoxin) if it dies or is severely stressed. Sensitive to skin parasites due to its scale-less skin.