- Congo pufferfish
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Congo pufferfish 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes Family: Tetraodontidae Genus: Tetraodon Species: miurus Binomial name Tetraodon miurus
Boulenger, 1902The Congo puffer or potato puffer (Tetraodon miurus) is a freshwater pufferfish found in areas of the Congo River in Africa including rapids.
Congo puffers grow to about 15 cm long.[1] In the wild, they feed mainly on fish, but in captivity they will happily eat different foods, such as bloodworms and river shrimp. They are inactive fish, spending most of their time buried in sand or other substrate, with the ability to adapt their colouration to hide from potential prey. However, there are many colour variations within the species, ranging from black to sandy to bright red.
This puffer has the ability to change coloring to match the substrate it lives in. It will not change to blue for example, but if in a dark substrate will generally become darker in color. If introduced into estabilshed aquarium with bigger fish (such as angels) and provided with a healthy supply of live foods to eat, it will live happily with other tank mates.
Like all members of the Tetraodon family, the Congo puffer is capable of inflating itself with water or air when stressed or otherwise frightened.
In captivity, Congo puffers require at least a 30 US gallon tank with the temperature between 23° and 26°C. They are sensitive to both nitrites and nitrates, so overfiltration is required. The water pH should be approximately 7.[2] The lifespan and breeding habits of Congo puffers are unknown.
References
- ^ "Tetraodon miurus". FishBase. http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=10104&genusname=Tetrodon&speciesname=miurus.
- ^ Riehl, Rüdiger; Hans A. Baensch (1993). Aquarium Atlas. 2 (4 ed.). Rockport. p. 1162. ISBN 1564651142.
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