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malabar pufferfish

Scientific name Carinotetraodon travancoricus
Descriptor Hora & Nair
Year of description 1941
IUCN category (World) VU
Family Tetraodontidae
Genus Carinotetraodon
Carinotetraodon travancoricus Carinotetraodon travancoricus
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Introduction

The Carinotetraodon travancoricus, commonly known as the Malabar Pufferfish, is a tropical freshwater fish native to the western part of India. Its populations are currently under serious threat due to ecosystem degradation and fishing for the aquarium trade.

Who is it?

Morphology

  • Average size
    2 cm
  • Maximum size
    3 cm
  • Longevity
    10 year
  • Average size
    2 cm
  • Maximum size
    3 cm
  • Longevity
    10 year

How to recognize the malabar pufferfish ?

This species belongs to the group of pufferfish. These fish are nicknamed like this because they have the ability to inflate themselves when they feel threatened.

To achieve this inflation, they swallow water and fill their stomach to more than double their volume. This is made possible by their stretchy skin. This subterfuge makes them look much more impressive to their predators. They are also much more complicated to swallow. This change in shape becomes a disadvantage for these fish that, once inflated, can hardly move.

It is one of the smallest pufferfish in the world. In the wild, the largest specimens measure less than 2.5 cm. The pattern is made up of black spots and marbling on a yellow background, present on the upper half of the body. The belly is white.

Behaviour & Life cycle

  • diet
    carnivorous
  • Sociability
    living in a group or alone
  • territorial
    No
  • Way of living
    diurnal

Tetrodotoxin or TTX is a neurotoxin produced by bacteria. In this species, it is present in large quantities in the liver, viscera and gonads but is also found in the skin.

Females are more toxic than males, this is due to the high concentration of TTX in the ovaries.

When poisoned, TTX is fatal in more than 50% of cases. This neurotoxin acts on the pores of the sodium channels, which stops the passage of nerve impulses, resulting in partial or total paralysis. Death is most often due to respiratory paralysis triggering cardiac arrest by collapse.

In the wild, the Malabar Pufferfish is observed solitary or in groups, at mid-depth and close to the bottom. Little information is known about its natural behavior. It is known to be a micro-predator and partially feeds on mollusks.

Reproduction

  • Reproduction
    ovipare qui pond sur substrat caché

The Malabar Pufferfish is an oviparous fish that lays eggs in vegetation.

Harmless species

This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.

Where to find it?

Conservation status of populations (IUCN)

World : VU

Geographic distribution & Conservation

This species is endemic to the Western Ghats in India. It is also found in coastal areas of Kerala and Karnataka. The habitat has been severely affected by wetland drying and deforestation. Captures for the aquarium trade are also becoming a serious threat to the species' survival. The species has been classified as vulnerable since 2013 by the IUCN, but it could be critically endangered.

What is its habitat?

Natural environment characteristics

  • Temperature
    22 - 28 °C
  • pH (acidity)
    7.5 - 8.3
  • gh (hardness)
    5 - 10
  • Flow
    Slow and Stagnant

Biotope presentation

The Malabar Pufferfish naturally resides in areas with a high presence of vegetation (aquatic and marsh plants, decomposing organic matter, branches...). Although they live in tropical forest areas, the pH seems to be basic.

Species of the same biotope

Main recommendations for fishkeeping

Deontology

In order to preserve wildlife, if you acquire this animal, it must not be released into the wild. See also, the Fishipedia charter.

Fishipedia supports the practice of responsible and environmentally friendly aquarium keeping. We encourage maintenance if it is motivated by a desire to understand the biological functioning of living things and if it is done with respect for animal life.

We believe that aquaristics is an opening to the discovery of aquatic environments, especially freshwater, and that this knowledge is necessary to better protect and respect these environments. Logically, we refute the compulsive purchase of animals that would not find a sufficient and / or adapted place in the host aquarium.

Our recommendations

  • Min volume
    50 liters
  • Population min
    1
  • Temperature
    22 - 28 °C
  • pH (acidity)
    7.2 - 8

Characteristics

  • Difficulty breeding
    hard
  • Robustness
    tolerant
  • Behaviour
    slightly aggressive
  • Availability
    standard

General reminders

It is strongly advised to read the complete dedicated file and to get information on the feedbacks of maintenance of the envisaged animal, this to avoid any potential conflict whose end result is generally the death of the individual (or the other inhabitants). It is important not to overload your aquarium to limit pollution. This will make maintenance easier.

In nature, animals are subject to weather conditions and live in waters with variable characteristics. The recommendations offered by our team for aquarium maintenance are a guidance and cannot be assimilated to scientific datas.

General reminder on maintenance datas

Le démarrage d'un aquarium est une partie primordiale pour l'équilibre et le bien-être des poissons. Lorsque l'on met en eau un aquarium, l'eau passe naturellement par un cycle biologique : le cycle de l'azote. Celui-ci dure environ trois semaines. Tous les 2 jours, nous vous conseillons de tester votre eau jusqu'à ce que le taux de nitrite soit à zéro pendant plusieurs jours d'affilée.

Pour accélérer ce cycle, vous pouvez utiliser un activateur de bactéries comme JBL Denitrol. Cette solution riche en bactéries vivantes et enzymes permet une mise en place rapide du cycle de l'azote. Les poissons peuvent alors être introduits plus rapidement.

Il est important de tester l'eau de son aquarium régulièrement pour maintenir un environnement sain pour les poissons et les autres habitants. Les tests d'eau permettent de mesurer les niveaux de différents paramètres tels que le pH, la dureté totale, ainsi que les taux de nitrates, de nitrites et d'ammoniaque.

Pour réaliser ces tests, vous pouvez utiliser des produits d'analyse spécialisés tels que JBL ProScan qui permet de réaliser un diagnostic de l'eau directement via un smartphone. Il existe également des coffrets de tests plus classiques de bandelettes, comme JBL PROAQUATEST.

En cas d’usage de l’eau du robinet, vous pouvez utiliser un conditionneur d’eau de type Biotopol de JBL pour éliminer les substances nocives comme le chlore, le cuivre, le plomb et le zinc. Les conditionneurs d'eau garantissent une meilleure santé aux poissons et une meilleure croissance des plantes.

Chlorine and chloramine are dangerous for the health of animals. Used to disinfect water, these agents are present in significant quantities in tap water. We recommend using an anti-chlorine agent every time you change the water. In addition to chlorine, treatments and medicines sold for aquarium use sometimes contain dangerous heavy metals in high doses.

Specific needs for the malabar pufferfish

The malabar pufferfish is a species which lives naturally at a temperature between 22 °C and 28 °C. For proper maintenance, the temperature should never exceed the 31°C for long periods. Nitrate levels should remain below 50mg/L. To keep the water clean and unpolluted, plan on changing 20% to 30% of the water volume each month.

The malabar pufferfish is a species whose maintenance is rather reserved for informed aquarists . It can only be successfully carried out by carrying out a minimum of documentation work. Special husbandry conditions can easily lead to the death of the species.

This species is particularly common in the aquarium trade. Animals from long-term breeding are usually acclimatized at a temperature of about 26 °C in neutral water.

Formal incompatibilities

Be careful, the malabar pufferfish is incompatible with molluscs and crustacean.

Cohabitation & Environment

The malabar pufferfish is a fish which it is advisable to maintain in specific aquarium. A 50 liter tank is sufficient to consider its breeding. Associating it with other species is not fundamentally impossible but a documentation work is necessary for the constitution of the population.

It should be noticed that this species should not be kept with large crustaceans or fish, as it would become a prey of choice. Smaller species should preferably be inserted in the aquarium some time before the larger ones. Moreover, if you want to breed it, it is better to put them in a specific aquarium.

The species enjoys a particularly vegetation-rich environment. The addition of plants will provide many useful hiding places for resting. These areas are also conducive to possible breeding in the aquarium.

Basic water maintenance

The malabar pufferfish naturally living in basic water, the presence of limestone rocks such as millstone or travertine will improve its environment. It is also advisable to add sand with a contribution of specific salts to stabilize the pH, to be gauged according to the hardness of the water used.

Tips for feeding

The malabar pufferfish is carnivorous.

This species does not appreciate being fed with freeze-dried food (flakes...). Some specimens will never eat this type of food.

You should not overfeed your residents to avoid polluting the water. For most species, it is better to feed a few small portions each day rather than one large meal.

Food recommendations from our partner JBL - Products PRONOVO

Reproduction protocol

  • egg-laying protection
    Yes

Hybridization risks

In general, it is advised not to mix several species of the same genus or different varieties of the same species, to avoid the risks of hybridization.

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To go further

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To read on the web

fishbase EOL

Sources & Contributions

Participation & Validation

The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.

Robert Allgayer

Robert Allgayer

Benoit Chartrer

Benoit Chartrer

Translation

Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.

In collaboration with : Fédération Française Aquariophilie

Bibliographic references

BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF TOXIC PUFFERFISH - - 2018.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the vulnerable malabar pufferfish Carinotetraodon travancoricus (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodontidae) - Bingjian Liu - Kehua Zhu - Yifan Liu - Lihua Jiang - Zhenming Lü - Liqin Liu - Weinan Zhang - Zhu Liu - Wen Duan - Li Gong - - 2018.

Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014 - - 2015.

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Tags

#Tetraodontidae

#Carinotetraodon

#forêt inondée

#marais

#stream

#Asia

Species of the same family

Same genus

Species of the same biotope

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