What fish can live with Porcupine Puffer?

Porcupine Puffer pairs well with Blue-Green Chromis, Royal Gramma, Yellow Tang, Percula Clownfish, Maroon Clownfish, Tomato Clownfish. Compatibility depends on tank size, water parameters, and stocking density; the full list on this page ranks every checked pairing.

Species Profile

Porcupine Puffer

Diodon holocanthus

Also known as: Spiny Puffer, Balloon Porcupinefish

Pufferssemi-aggressive

Adult size

14″

Minimum tank

100 gal

Temperature

72–82°F

8.1–8.4

Schooling

Solitary OK

Water level

mid

Grows from juvenile

Typically sold at ~4″ and reaches 14″ over ~2 years. Plan tank size for the adult, not the fish at purchase.

Diet

Frozen mysis, krill, clams on the half shell, hard-shelled shrimp (to wear teeth)

Notes

Massive personality and grows over a foot. Erects spines and inflates when stressed. Eats anything that fits in its mouth, fish, snails, crabs, shrimp. FOWLR-only with large tankmates.

Compatible Tankmates

Best tank mates for Porcupine Puffer

Every species below passes the compatibility engine when paired with Porcupine Pufferin a suitably sized tank. Verdicts come from the same rules the builder uses — click a card to see that species' own care profile and its tank mates in turn.