Freshwater puffers are an exciting breed and unlike any other pet fish. Knowing how best to care for them when in captivity ensures they thrive. Since they are an aggressive species, it is advisable to house them alone.
Through this puffer fish guide, you will learn more about the distinct personality of Spotted Congos. Their sharp beak-like mouth can bite through the hard shells of fish they feed upon.
Essential Care Guide
Being ambush predators, Congo puffers spend most of their time buried under the sand substrate. They lie still till their prey is within proximity to pounce upon. In the wild, they live on other fish. If you add anything that moves in their tank, it will be consumed.
Listed here are five essential care aspects to conform to while keeping a Spotted Congo Puffer as a pet:
Recreate Natural Living Conditions
The tank or aquarium you choose for a single Spotted Congo should be able to accommodate at least forty gallons of water. You must recreate this intelligent breed’s natural habitat by adding driftwood, vegetation, soft substrate, and hiding places like crevices and caves to the water.
Maintain Tropical Water Conditions
A neutral pH level, consistent temperature, and moderate water flow are what your pet puffer requires to lead a healthy life in captivity. Deteriorating water parameters affect them adversely, which is why frequent and partial water changes are recommended.
Use drip acclimation techniques to introduce these sensitive creatures to aquarium water. While they are within the bag you sourced the puffers in, float the bag on top of your tank. Remove some of the water they arrived in and begin dripping tank water into the bag. Gradually the Spotted Congo will adjust to the water parameters of its new home.
Keep Tabs on Nitrogen Levels
Unlike other pet fish, who can still survive for short periods with reasonable nitrite or ammonia levels in the tank, pufferfish cannot. Considering nitrogen compounds are absent in wild waters, which is the natural habitat for Spotted Congo, such exposure proves lethal.
This pufferfish guide recommends having a reliable filtration mechanism in place to eliminate even trace amounts of nitrate, ammonia, or nitrite from the aquarium. There is no fear of your pet puffer falling sick or developing a bacterial infection when the tank is devoid of lethal compounds.
Feed Them a Balanced Diet
A healthy mix of live and frozen shellfish or dried meat is what Congo puffers will happily consume. You can also substitute this substantial diet with plant-based food now and then to achieve an appropriate balance. When the fish is young, feed it daily, and as the puffer matures, stagger the meal to every few days.
Monitor Behavior Patterns
When you notice your pet Spotted Congo puff up for no apparent reason, you need to assess what caused it to feel threatened. Especially where external stress factors do not exist, volatile water parameters or physical changes to your tank set-up could cause such behavior. Rectify the cause so your puffer has a happy and healthy existence in captivity.
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