Diodontidae (Balloon Fish)

The Spiny Porcupine Puffer Fish is an odd looking fish that has the obvious ability to inflate with water when threatened. They can also inflate with air if removed from the water and this can damage them internally. To prevent this from happening try to scoop or direct them into a bag when moving them. Try not to use a net to move them.

In the ocean Porcupine Puffer Fish can often be found in small groups but replicating this in the home aquarium can be foolish because of their potential adult size and because they can be one of the dirtier fishes to keep. They can reach 12 inches (30 cm) or more so you'll need to have a larger tank, preferrably 100 gallons (380 liters) or larger. For most hobbyists, keeping multiple Porcupine Puffers would not be a good idea.

For tank mates for your Porcupine Puffer Fish, look into the tangs and wrasses. Smaller fishes and crustaceans may become Porcupine Puffer dinner. So that eliminates them as a choice for the reef tank setup.

Porcupine Puffer Fish eat crustaceans in the wild and will accept most types of marine fish food including frozen, freeze dried, vitamin enriched flakes and live foods. Small pieces of fresh shrimp and clam can be chopped up and given. Give them a variety of foods but mostly meaty items for optimal health.

They can be particularly prone to getting saltwater ich (cryptocaryon) so you will need to take proper pre-cautions and use a quarantine tank before introducing them into your main tank. It can be a good idea to let them sit in the dealer's tank for a week or two before bringing them home. This will give you them a chance to recuperate from the sometimes long journey to the dealer's tank and it gives you a chance to watch for any sort of outbreaks before you buy them.