Hairy Puffer

The Hairy Puffer (Pao baileyi) / (Tetraodon baileyi) is a species of freshwater Puffer Fish native to the Mekong River Basin of Thailand and Laos.

Habitat

In the wild, these fish are found in the Mekong River Basin of Thailand and Laos. They require well oxygenated water with plenty of rocks and caves for them hide among. This is to simulate their natural environment. Substrate should consist of fine sand.

They are an ambush predator and should be fed plenty of frozen meaty food such as mussels and shrimp. Remember to feed them food items with shells, so they can bite through them and keep their beaks at a reasonable length.

Because of this, they also produce a lot of waste so a powerful filter is imperative.

A comfortable temperature for these fish is between 24°C - 27°C.

Size

Our specimen currently measures approx. 4.5" / 11.5cm

This species' maximum size typically reaches approx. 5.9" / 15cm

Aquarium

We recommend an aquarium with a minimum capacity of 115 Litres (30 Gallons)

The tank should be well established to avoid any surprise changes in water parameters that may upset or be otherwise detrimental to the fish.

pH levels should fall between the 6.5 - 7.5 range.

Behaviour

Hairy Puffers are an aggressive species and will try to eat other fish. It is best kept by itself in a single species tank, as the lone specimen. They are very territorial and will attack anything that they feel is encroaching in their space.

This is a freshwater species - Do not put them in a marine / saltwater aquarium.