How long do Green-spotted Puffers live?
Green-spotted Puffers live 10 or more years with correct brackish care. Their long life depends on steady salinity, clean water and proper diet — get the salt wrong and they decline.
What do Green-spotted Puffers eat?
They need hard-shelled live/frozen foods — snails, shrimp, crabs, clams — to grind down continuously growing teeth. The mistake is soft flake-only diets, which let teeth overgrow; feed crunchy foods several times a week.
Tank size and water parameters
A 30-gallon (115 L) tank suits one adult, with a plan for 55+ as it grows. Target 75-82°F (24-28°C), pH 7.5-8.5, specific gravity 1.005-1.015 (brackish, not full marine), zero ammonia and nitrite, nitrate under 20 ppm. Keep singly; they are aggressive to others.
Common mistakes with Green-spotted Puffers
Deadliest errors: keeping them in pure freshwater (they need brackish salt); flake-only diets causing tooth overgrowth; housing with tank mates they bite; and small tanks that stunt a 6-inch puffer.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Freshwater only — they require brackish salt (specific gravity ~1.005-1.015).
- Soft flake diets — teeth overgrow without crunchy live foods.
- Tank mates — they bite and must be kept alone.
- Too small a tank — adults reach 6 inches and need 30-55+ gallons.