Furry Diary

Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Amazon Puffer

Colomesus asellus

Also called South American freshwater puffer, Asellus puffer, Peruvian puffer, Brazilian puffer

SpeciesShort profile

From Tropical South America: the Amazon basin from Peru to Marajo Island, plus parts of the Orinoco and Essequibo basins.12

At a glance the quick version

Length12.8 cm123
Sizesmall
One of the more sociable puffers, happy in a group
Lively, always-on-the-move swimmer
Bold striped pattern
23

Looks how to spot one

Scaleless pufferfish

A short, deep-bodied puffer with a green back, white belly and bold black saddles across the top. A black ring circles the base of the tail and a row of small flaps lines the chin.213

Coloursgreen backwhite bellyblack transverse bandsblack ring at tail base2

Personality what they are like

Unusually tolerant of its own kind for a puffer and can feel uneasy alone. It may nip slow-moving fish, so it suits a puffer-only tank or one with fast river fish.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

A migratory, active river fish that appreciates swimming room, good water movement and plenty of oxygen.23

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Water about 22-28 C (Seriously Fish suggests 20-26 C), pH about 5.5-7.2 and hardness 5-15 dH. Keep water clean and well oxygenated. Offer crunchy, shelled foods so its continuously growing teeth stay short.132

Home where they are happiest

At least a 120 x 30 x 30 cm tank (about 108-109 litres) with open swimming space.32

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Snails, crab legs, cockles and other shelled foods, plus earthworms, bloodworms, mysids and brine shrimp. Wild fish also graze on algae films.32

Company who they like around

Forms loose groups in nature; a group of six or more is ideal in a large enough tank.32

The story where it all began

Muller and Troschel described the species in 1849. It is caught for food locally and is also traded for aquariums.1

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    Unlike most puffers it is migratory and not territorial.2

  2. 2

    It can inflate itself when it feels threatened.2

  3. 3

    A row of small chin flaps helps tell it apart from close relatives.3

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List (via FishBase)
Least Concern (assessed 2020).1

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Amazon Puffer. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. FishBase: Colomesus asellus fishbase.seused for size, origin, water parameters, IUCN, history
  2. Wikipedia: Colomesus asellus en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, appearance, behaviour, diet, tank size, fun facts
  3. Seriously Fish: Colomesus asellus seriouslyfish.comused for tank size, water parameters, diet, group keeping

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.