Midnight In The Aquarium of Good

Midnight Dogface Puffers (Arothron cf nigropunctatus) come from the Solomon Islands, where they inhabit a wide variety of habitats. They are found everywhere from coral reefs to sea grass beds, to brackish estuary environments. The one thing that seems to be a requisite for them is relatively sedate, or at least predictable flow, as they are not the most athletic swimmers. They are usually found either by themselves or occasionally in pairs which may be purely reproduction related. Mostly they are found in pretty shallow water, less than 50 feet down or so.

Dogface Puffers of all sorts are staff favorites both here and in their home tanks. They are super interesting and very hardy fish, but what we all love about them is their personality (fishality?) Arothrons quickly learn and are very engaged pets with people. They will greet you excitedly when you approach the tank, expecting snacks. Some will even spit water at the top of the tank and will approach to be scratched and rubbed. Large puffers are capable of doing serious harm to you through their sharp teeth and incredibly strong jaws. As a result, always keep your hands clear of their bitey bits, and never remove them from the water.

There is some debate as to the exact species of the Midnight Dogfaces as they are shaped mostly like other Dogface Puffers (Arothron nigropunctatus), but this species was previously thought to be relatively uncommon in the Solomons, and in addition, this is a color form that we've never seen A. nigropunctatus have from anywhere else. Though in fairness, A. nigropunctatus is a fish of many faces and can be a lot of different colors! More common puffers from the area include the Narrow-Lined Pufferfish (Arothron manilensis) which looks very different indeed and the Stars and Stripes Pufferfish (Arothron hispidus) which is a closer match body wise, but still very different color wise.

Regardless of this, all of the puffers in the Arothron genus get relatively big and these are no exception. Large adults can be a foot long, though eight to ten inches is much more common. The biggest one we know of was just shy of 14 inches! Because of this, they need an aquarium with enough footprint to allow them some turn around space; a Midnight Dogface tank should be a minimum of four feet long, and at least two feet wide; more in both directions will be required for a fish on the large end of the spectrum. All puffers will push their teeth along the panes of an aquarium, which over time will leave scratches in acrylic, making glass tanks a better choice. They are somewhat unique in designing displays for, in that they are messy eaters, and so filtration should be aggressive, but flow should be fairly sedate to accommodate their clumsy swimming. Puffers will love swim throughs and caves and will explore every inch of tank you give them; sometimes they'll even take “naps” in them! They are not picky as to substrate, and are good candidates for bare bottom tanks as it is much easier to keep clean without a cleanup crew...

In regard to a cleanup crew, your Midnight Dogface Puffer would love them – for a snack. They will make quick work of any motile invertebrate you put into the tank, sea stars, hermit crabs, snails, crabs, even cleaner shrimp are on the menu. Actually, every and all invertebrate you add is at risk, while the coral reef is one of their natural habitats, it is possible that yours might eat the growing tips off hard corals and the fleshy polyps of LPS corals; sea fans, gorgonians, and even small unwary fish might be on the menu.

You might be thinking that this behavior would make them easy to feed, and you're right. They are voracious. They will eat just about anything, and the internet abounds with people who have stories about training their Arothron to eat from their hand; because of the previously mentioned danger regarding the powerful nature of their jaws and the incredible sharpness of their teeth, we don't actually recommend this.

They will appreciate a mixed offering of whole meaty foods such as clams, shrimp etc. It is important that some of their food should come in hard shells, like Gamma's Cockle In Shell. Allowing them items where they have to break into dinner is messy, but absolutely necessary since their teeth never stop growing and need to be worn down on such food items. If you have access to clean live snails, clams and crabs, these would all be good treats for your puffer. Puffers also like to eat algae and sponge, so supplementing with algae or sponge-based food is a great idea. Arothron puffers will generally learn to take large pellets quickly, we use the Nutramar Algae and Color Boost Pellets in the 12mm size, and these would be perfect to supplement their diet in the home environment as well.

In regard to tank mates, our favorite way to display the Midnight Dogface puffer is by itself. Seriously. These fish are so amazing that they really don't need other animals in the tank. That being said, if want other stuff in there, obviously avoid inverts that you don't want eaten. You should also avoid small fish that are plodding swimmers; things like dragonettes and some gobies would become quick meals. Sharks are very sedentary and are likely to get picked on, so we suggest avoiding them as well. Including some small fast swimming fish like wrasses works well because they are good at consuming the little scraps left behind. Pseudochromis and Damsels are also usually fast enough to do this job and save themselves. Large Angels, Lionfish, Hamlets, some Triggers and similar fish can all be acceptable tank mates for those of you looking for more.

The Midnight Dogface puffer is possibly the most “personable” fish you can keep in an aquarium. In addition, they are hardy, and unique, even among puffers. Honestly, nearly every person here will tell you this is one of their favorite fish. You will feel like you have bought a little puppy, without any of the chewed shoes or accident clean up. If you're the right person, ask your local fish store for a sustainably sourced Midnight Dogface Puffer from Quality Marine today!