Red-eye puffer
Carinotetraodon lorteti
A small freshwater puffer among the most fascinating and challenging in fishkeeping. Intelligent and personable, with mobile red eyes that follow the observer, its compact body changes color and pattern depending on mood and sex. Males display dorsal and ventral crests during courtship. Native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia), it is strictly freshwater — no salt needed. A strict carnivore requiring hard-shelled snails to maintain its beak. Highly territorial and nippy: species-only tank mandatory in nearly all cases.
Température de l’eau
24 - 28 °C
Valeur du pH
6.5 - 7.5
Type d'eau
Eau douce
Niveau dans le bac
Fond et milieu
Taille adulte
6 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 75 L
Groupe minimal
>= 1
GH
4 - 15 dGH
KH
2 - 7 dKH
TDS
80 - 295 ppm
Conductivité
125 - 461 uS/cm
Description de l'espèce
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam). Lives in shaded canals, slow-flowing rivers and densely vegetated freshwater swamps.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Red-eye Puffer (Carinotetraodon lorteti). Freshwater puffer fish, reaches about 6 cm (2.4 inches). Characterized by an erectile dorsal or abdominal bony "keel" and, obviously, the ability to puff up.
Social Behavior: Extremely aggressive, unpredictable and territorial. Spends a lot of time hidden among the leaves, waiting for prey. Keeping them in groups (even among conspecifics) in small tanks is strongly discouraged.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Highly accentuated dimorphism. Males: bright red eye, red belly, greenish/brownish back with no pattern. Females: white belly, light eye, brownish body with complex reticulated "cobweb" pattern.
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Aquarium Setup: 60-80 cm (24-32 inches) tank for a single male or a small harem (1 male and 2-3 females) full of roots and dense plants to break visual lines. The bottom must be inert sand to allow them to partially bury themselves.
Diet and Feeding: Specialized carnivore. Live snails are vital for filing the tooth beak that grows continuously. Accepts bloodworms, frozen shrimp and krill. Categorically refuses dry feeds.
Water Quality: It is a *strictly freshwater* puffer fish, it does not need salt. Intolerant of nitrate accumulations (sensitive to dirty water bacteria) and violent water changes.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Relentless fin nipper. Must be kept alone. If paired with other fish (even armored ones like Corydoras), it will systematically remove eyes and fins during the night with pincer-like bites.
Aquarium Breeding: Difficult. The male chooses a site (often Java moss), attracts the female for a brief spawning and then violently drives her away, solitarily taking on parental care of the eggs (which he ventilates with his fins).
Risks and Diseases: In addition to hypertrophy of the beak (lethal if not worn down with snail shells), it is exposed to internal poisons. If exposed to the air, it ingests oxygen by puffing up and can no longer expel it, dying of asphyxiation. Never take it out of the water.
Origine et répartition géographiques
Native to mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam). Lives in shaded canals, slow-flowing rivers and densely vegetated freshwater swamps.
Origine
Asie du Sud et du Sud-EstAsie de l'Est
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- Aggressive
- They are notoriously grumpy and aggressive. They actively predate on anything small. They possess a fierce but fascinating personality.
- Régime alimentaire
- Carnivore
- Crunchy foods keep their teeth filed. Snails and small crustaceans are essential. Frozen bloodworms make good supplementary treats.
- Espérance de vie
- 5-8 years
- Taille adulte
- 6 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Harem
- Managing the sex ratio is critically important for Carinotetraodon lorteti due to the highly aggressive and territorial nature of the males. It is highly recommended to keep them either as single specimens or in a harem arrangement containing one male to several females (at least 2-3 females per male). Housing multiple males in the same aquarium almost inevitably leads to fierce, often fatal, combat as they mature and assert dominance. Even within a proper harem structure, providing abundant visual barriers and hiding spots is essential to diffuse any intraspecific tension.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- Twice daily
- Once a day is generally sufficient. Avoid letting their bellies bulge excessively. Skipping a day mimics natural habits.
- Charge biologique
- Low to Medium
- They create a surprisingly high bioload. Messy eating habits foul water quickly. Excellent biological filtration is strictly required.
- Courant
- Strong
- They inhabit sluggish, calm natural waters. Slow to moderate flow is preferred. Strong currents cause them massive stress.
- Risque de saut
- No
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- Captive breeding is extremely difficult to achieve. Males become fiercely territorial during spawning. Eggs are scattered without parental care.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- Community
- They are fiercely aggressive fin-nippers. Species-only tanks are highly recommended. Tank mates are usually severely injured.
- Niveau dans le bac
- Middle/Bottom
- Redeye puffers are predominantly bottom-to-middle dwelling fish that intricately associate themselves with the hardscape and flora of the aquarium. They can often be seen hovering just above the substrate or navigating methodically through dense thickets of aquatic plants. They rarely venture into the open upper levels of the water column unless actively pursuing food or moving to a new territory. Providing a complex environment in the lower half of the tank with driftwood, leaf litter, and caves is crucial for their behavioral enrichment.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,5 ± 0,46 se
- Résilience
- Élevée (moins de 15 mois)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.5156
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.0263, b = 2.88
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible (10 / 100)
Galerie d'images
Images sous licence liées à l'espèce ou, lorsqu'elles sont indiquées, au taxon représentatif le plus proche.
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