Saltwater Pufferfish are sought after in the aquarium-keeping hobby because of their amazing personalities. They’re incredibly curious and intelligent animals and are often centerpieces of saltwater aquariums because of it. Some puffers will do well in a peaceful aquarium, while others will get into mischief if kept with smaller, peaceful fish. This article is meant to be an archive of all types of saltwater puffers. This list is not complete and is expected to grow as I continue to write care guides for each puffer species.
Do Puffer Fish Have Teeth?
Before getting into each pufferfish species, I wanted to answer a very common question: Do Puffer fish have teeth? Yes, they do have teeth that are fused which creates something that resembles a beak. The teeth grow indefinitely and require hard shells, shrimp tails, clam shells, and other hard foods to help grind them down. Not providing something hard to bite on will cause the teeth to grow over their mouth over time, inevitably preventing them from eating.
Blue Spotted Puffer Fish
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Reef Compatible | With Caution |
| Max Size | 4.5 inches |
| Minimum Fish Tank Size | 55 Gallons |
Blue Spot Puffer Fish also known as the Blue Dot Toby Puffer are often brown, and yellow, in color with vibrant blue spots speckled throughout its body. They are a smaller species of puffer fish and will do well in 55 gallons or larger aquariums. They are generally peaceful but take caution when keeping them in a reef tank because they can bring trouble to coral and invertebrates. Check out the Blue Spot Puffer Complete Care Guide for more information on this fish.
Porcupine Puffer Fish
| Temperament | Semi-Aggressive |
| Reef Compatible | No |
| Max Size | 1 Foot |
| Minimum Fish Tank Size | 180 Gallons |
Porcupine Puffers are seen primarily as tan in color with brown and black patches throughout its body. One of my favorite features of this species is the vibrant blue/green eyes it has. They are known to nip on other fish and will grow to be over a foot long. A Porcupine Puffer tank size should be at least 180 gallons or larger when it is fully grown. I would also not recommend keeping this species in a reef tank because it’ll decimate invertebrate populations and will likely nip on corals. If you’re interested in learning more about this fish, check out the Porcupine Puffer Complete Care Guide.
Valentini Puffer Fish
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Reef Compatible | With Caution |
| Max Size | 4 Inches |
| Minimum Fish Tank Size | 30 Gallons |
Valentini Puffer Fish also known as the Saddle Valentini Puffer are a mixture of black, white, and yellow colors with brown dots speckling their body. They are fairly peaceful fish that grows to be about 4 inches in length. This allows them to do well in aquariums that are 30 gallons or larger. I would be cautious in keeping them in reef tanks because they can nip on coral and will likely pick on all types of invertebrates. Learn more about the Valentini Puffer by checking out its complete care guide.
Dogface Puffer Fish
| Temperament | Semi-Aggressive |
| Reef Compatible | No |
| Max Size | 1 Foot+ |
| Minimum Fish Tank Size | 180 Gallons |
Dogface Puffers are often seen in gray with dark spots scattered around the body. They can sometimes be found with yellow colorations as well. This species of fish grows more than a foot in length and will require a 180 gallon or larger fish tank. They can also be semi-aggressive and do best in aquariums with larger fish. Dogfaced Puffer Fish will likely pick on both coral and invertebrates so they are not recommended for a reef tank. Check out the Dogface Puffer Complete Care Guide to learn more about this fish.
Final Notes
As stated above, this list is not yet completed. I will continue to update it as I release more care guides for saltwater puffers. The species presented currently are some of the most commonly found and most popular in the hobby. I hope to add more species soon such as the Stars and Stripes Puffer or Spiny Box Puffer.