Black Saddled Puffer - Large

The Black Saddle Pufferfish has four distinct black to dark brown saddles on its back. Its head is blue-greyish, and the main body is brown with blue-grey spots. Its body is white with brownish-orange spotting on the lower half, yellowfins and blue striping running along its back. It doesn’t have pelvic fins and instead uses its pectoral fins to move around.

It is one of the Sharp-Nosed Pufferfish or Tobies, which are distinguishable because their teeth are fused together in a beak-like structure.

As you would expect being a puffer fish it has the ability when threatened or alarmed to inflate its body, which it can do to almost twice its normal size.

These Pufferfish have a toxin in their skin, which it can release if it gets stressed or dies. This toxin can kill all the other aquatic life in the aquarium and so it is important to remove the fish as soon as possible when it dies. Also, take care when transporting the fish as it can get alarmed and stressed when being netted and so it’s recommended to use a container to transfer it. If the Pufferfish inflates out of the water it can have problems getting the air out of its body again. As it can disperse poisonous toxins when stressed it is also advised not to empty the water it is transported with into your aquarium.

It originates in the Indo Pacific region and is usually found on coral reefs, rocky reefs, around seagrass and areas with soft sediment.

Tank Recommendations for Black Saddled Pufferfish

The smallest tank size to keep these fish is 114 liter (30 gallons) or larger. A fish-only aquarium is suitable as they will also likely eat invertebrates. These fish should be kept in an established aquarium with plenty of algae growth where they can "graze" algae from rocks and stones.

Suitable Tank Buddies

This species can be kept as a male/female pair. This fish can be quite aggressive and nippy towards tank mates and will fight with other Pufferfish, Filefish, and long-finned fish. It is not safe with invertebrates and so is best kept in a fish-only or a FOWLR tank.

Usually Compatible

Damselfish, Hawkfish, Gobies, Lionfish, Tangs, Angelfish, Butterflyfish, and even Eels make good tank mates for these Pufferfish.

Sometime Compatible

Triggerfish, Rays, and Anglerfish need to be monitored with them. Usually, Boxfish, Cardinalfish, Clownfish, and Dragonettes are also fine with these guys. It is important to ensure that they don’t harass your Pufferfish and stress them too much.

Rarely Compatible

Crustaceans and invertebrates don’t mix well with these fish as they are likely to eat them. Groupers, Sharks, and Snappers are all likely to try and eat the Pufferfish which is likely to turn out badly for all parties if the Pufferfish puffs up in the other fish's mouth and gets stuck there. Seahorses and Pipefish also won’t mix in well with these fish as they are slow-moving and likely to get out-competed for food resources.

Feeding Your Black Saddled Pufferfish

In the wild, this species eats shrimps, crayfish, crabs, sea urchins, snails, and similar. This fish needs a varied diet of meaty foods including. These can include squid, krill, clams, and hard-shelled shrimp which can help wear down their teeth which continue growing all through their life. It is important to feed them more frequently if there is insufficient algae growth on the rocks in the tank. You can supplement their food with algae-rich food e.g. Spirulina. If you have them in a reef aquarium you will need to monitor them as they do nibble on the corals.