The Red Miurus Puffer, Tetraodon miurus, is a fascinating freshwater fish that I have had the pleasure of owning and caring for in my personal collection. This unique fish is also called the Red Congo Puffer or the Red Potato Puffer due to its distinct appearance (IT LOOKS LIKE A POTATO!) and its native habitat in the Congo Basin of Central Africa. The Red is a rarer variant of the Miurus puffer, which is typically a tan, khaki or beige color.
This little puffer fish can grow to be over six inches long! While its potato-like shape is very cute, you should keep in mind that the Red Miurus Puffer is an ambush predator by nature — it will bury itself in the sand and await its prey. It can also mimic colors to blend with rocks, driftwood, and sand. Unlike some other puffers in its genus, this puffer is pretty aggressive and should be kept as the only fish in an aquarium. Any tank mates that fit its mouth will eventually become food, and those that don’t, in my experience, will be attacked out of aggression anyway.
This puffer was burying itself in the sand to ambush some prey
I’ve had the best luck with a diet that consisted of meaty foods, but keep in mind that it can be tricky to get them to accept foods that aren’t live. My puffer’s diet mainly consists of earthworms, ghost shrimp and prawns, crickets, mysis shrimp, baby crayfish, and snails. This is due to the fact that this fish has not yet been bred in captivity — any specimen you see is wild-caught.
Another unique trait to note is that this fish, like others in its genus, does carry the deadly neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, but it only poses a threat if ingested. The next interesting trait I’d like to mention is its beak-like set of teeth. However, in this species the teeth don’t grow as fast as most other puffers, so it doesn’t need hard foods as much as other puffers do to keep this beak from over-growing.
Red Miurus looking like a potato in the water and another changing color to blend with nearby driftwood.
The Red Miurus Puffer is a unique and captivating freshwater fish that requires a little special care due to its aggressive nature and dietary needs. Its distinct appearance and fascinating behavior and personality make it a great addition to any aquarium collection. Some things to keep in mind: due to its size, a 20-gallon tank is sufficient but a 40-breeder would be best; it will require mainly meaty and/or live foods; a strong filtration setup is a must — and don’t try to eat it or you may die! 😄
As always, submit any questions, comments or requests to: PicKFishPets@gmail.com
