Sharpnose pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata) care guide

Group
Marine fish
Other names
Caribbean sharpnose puffer, Atlantic sharpnose puffer, Tamborín narizón
Family
Tetraodontidae (pufferfishes)
Origin
Western central Atlantic from South Carolina to Venezuela, incl. Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean; reefs and seagrass, mostly above 40 m.
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
12 cm
Temperature
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
Salinity SG 1.023–1.026
Minimum tank
120 litres
Care level
intermediate
Temperament
semi_aggressive
Reef safe
with_caution
Lifespan
up to about 10 years

Care

A small puffer that suits a 120-litre or larger tank (an estimate from its size) with live rock to explore. Water figures given here are general marine aquarium guidance, not species-specific: 24–27 °C, pH 8.1–8.4 and a specific gravity of 1.023–1.026. Keep nitrate low and water quality stable. It is a slow swimmer that puffs up with water when alarmed. In the wild a territorial male guards one to six females, while smaller males wander; subordinate males show a mottled pattern to signal submission. It is cream with a reddish-purple back and belly and a yellow tail. Toxins: like other pufferfish it carries tetrodotoxin in its skin and organs. Handle it carefully (with a container rather than a net) and never eat it, and a dead or dying puffer should be removed from the tank promptly. The source notes that this species contains both tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern; it is common, though numbers are slowly falling with coral reef loss. Sources: Wikipedia, List of marine aquarium fish species (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofmarineaquariumfishspecies); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canthigasterrostrata). Checked October 2026.

Diet

An omnivore that in the wild takes seagrass and sponges plus algae, worms, shrimps, crabs, snails, soft corals, starfish, sea cucumbers and urchins. In the aquarium offer a varied meaty diet (mysis, krill, chopped shellfish) with some algae-based food, and occasional snails or shelled foods to keep the beak worn.

Breeding

Egg-layers with polygynous mating. Spawning peaks in spring at dawn: females lay eggs on sand or in algae nests in seagrass beds and males fertilise them. Neither parent cares for the eggs or young. Rarely, if ever, bred in home aquaria.

Compatibility and tank mates

Reef safe with caution: it may nip soft corals, sponges and other sessile invertebrates and will eat small shrimps, crabs and snails. Keep one per tank (or one male) with fish that will not harass it; avoid slow, long-finned fish that it might nip.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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