Avocado Puffer

Remarks: The avocado puffer, also known as the green, bronze, golden, or metallic puffer, is a unique species of true freshwater puffer. Unlike most puffers that don't have a body-plan built for speed, avocado puffers are very stream-lined and are quite the fast swimmer compared to their relatives. This is due to them being adapted for the fast-flowing sections of rivers and streams in southeast Asia.

  Being so agile and like most other puffers, having the possibility of being very predatory and belligerent in regards to other fish, the avocado puffer is not an ideal choice for most community tanks. Since these intelligent fish have great variation in their personalities, occasionally you can find one that does just fine with faster swimming tank mates such as medium to large sized danios, more often than not the avocado puffer will harass and hunt down most fish they are housed with. To prevent losses, it is recommended that they be kept only with the fastest of swimmers or in a species only tank. Sometimes you will even need to keep them as a single, solitary fish as occasionally you can get one that is extremely aggressive even to its own kind. As they make up their natural diet, invertebrates of any kind are also not recommended to be housed with the avocado puffer unless they are intended as food for it.

  The avocado puffer at least is a fascinating enough fish to keep to warrant having a tank all to themselves. With how intelligent they are, it can be fascinating to observe their different personalities and how they investigate anything placed in their tank. Frequently they learn who their keeper is and will come right up to the glass to beg for food. It is good to provide lots of enrichment for these puffers to keep them entertained and to discourage destructive behavior. Not only are they entertaining to watch, avocado puffers also have very unique and attractive coloration. Their bellies tend to be white with their top halves being anywhere from bronze, to green, to even gold. These colors shine in the light as they are covered in a metallic sheen making for a true show-stopper of a puffer. 

  Like with all puffers, avocado puffers have a set of sharp teeth shaped like a beak that are constantly growing. These teeth need to be worn down otherwise they will grow to the point the puffer can no longer eat. To prevent this, the avocado needs to frequently be fed live foods with hard shells such as shrimp, snails, crab, or crayfish.