Home / Fishes / Pufferfish / Striped Redeye Puffer
No federal permit to keepStriped Redeye Puffer
Carinotetraodon salivator
Fishes › Pufferfish (Tetraodontiformes) › Tetraodontidae (Pufferfish)
Carinotetraodon salivator, also known as the striped red-eye puffer, is a species of freshwater pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 1.6 in / 4 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Availability: Rarely or never seen in the aquarium trade; expect to source it from specialists or not at all.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 24 × 12 in (roughly 14 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 68–82 °F, pH 5–7.5, 1–12 dGH.
- Behaviour: in a pair; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “This species requires a well-decorated aquarium with driftwood roots or branches plus plenty of aquatic plants, of which floating varieties can be used to provide additional shade.”
- Diet: “Tetraodontids lack true teeth, the jawbone itself being modified into four fused toothlike structures.”
- Tankmates: “Less aggressive than some members of the genus but nevertheless best maintained alone or alongside a group of peaceful, schooling cyprinids of a size large enough to escape predation but small enough that they offer no competition or threat.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Pufferfish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Pufferfish inhabit marine reefs and coastal waters, brackish estuaries and, in some lineages, freshwater rivers and lakes. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Identify species and salinity needs before setup: Tetraodon mbu needs freshwater, Arothron and Canthigaster need marine systems, and green-spotted puffers need a separate salinity plan.
- For adult T. mbu, the cited profile specifies about 240 × 90 × 90 cm (96 × 36 × 36 in), approximately 1,944 litres.
- Marine Canthigaster require around 150 litres; Arothron meleagris require an absolute minimum around 500 litres, preferably twice that; giant species require larger facilities.
- Provide strong biological filtration and regular waste removal; large marine puffers also require effective mechanical filtration and protein skimming.
- Provide rocks, caves and open swimming room, and protect cables and breakable equipment from their beaks.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 75–79°F |
Diet
- Snails and hard-shelled molluscs such as mussels or cockles for shell-crushing species.
- Shell-on crustaceans or crab legs sized to the fish.
- For Canthigaster, small portions of chopped prawn, frozen Mysis and algal foods.
Social life
- Keep T. mbu alone: it can severely injure other fish and is aggressive to conspecifics. Marine tobies commonly nip trailing fins; puffers can consume aquarium invertebrates. Assess compatibility by species and individual.
Handling
- Never deliberately induce inflation.
- Keep fingers and vulnerable equipment away from the beak.
Health watch
- Overgrown teeth interfering with feeding.
- Overfeeding and diet-related health problems.
- Water-quality illness associated with heavy waste production.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
It is a tropical species known only from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where it occurs at a depth range of 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft). It is found in large, fast-flowing streams with silty and sandy bottoms, leaf litter, and submerged logs.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Carinotetraodon salivator” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water. Found in a large stream with soft and silty bottoms in some parts, sandy in others, with leaf litter and submerged logs. Occurs in relatively fast flowing waters. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, depth 1–2 m. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 87°F (up to 89°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 71°F (down to 70°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 78–80°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 80–82% on average (driest month about 78%) |
| Rainfall | about 3876 mm a year, spread fairly evenly |
Measured at 5 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Carinotetraodon salivator, also known as the striped red-eye puffer, is a species of freshwater pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a tropical species known only from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where it occurs at a depth range of 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft). It is found in large, fast-flowing streams with silty and sandy bottoms, leaf litter, and submerged logs. It reaches 4 cm standard length and is occasionally seen in the aquarium trade. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Biology | Found in a large stream with soft and silty bottoms in some parts, sandy in others, with leaf litter and submerged logs. Occurs in relatively fast flowing waters. — FishBase |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 24 × 12 in (about 14 US gallons).
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish — tetraodon mbu Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish — tetraodon nigroviridis Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Practical Fishkeeping — Marine puffer fish: The inflation great! Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Practical Fishkeeping — Pufferfish: Inflated egotists Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Natural History Museum — Pufferfish: An underwater balloon of death? Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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