Papuan Toby

The Papuan Toby is a striking small pufferfish featuring a bold bicolor pattern with a dark brown to black upper body and a contrasting white to cream lower body, separated by a relatively clean demarcation line. The dark dorsal area may display scattered blue spots and fine blue lines, particularly around the face and eyes, while a prominent dark ocellus (false eyespot) near the base of the dorsal fin serves to confuse predators about the fish's orientation.

In the wild, the Papuan Toby is found on coral reefs and lagoons throughout the western Pacific, where it patrols a small territory among coral rubble and reef structures. It feeds on a mixed diet of algae, small invertebrates, sponges, and detritus. Like other Canthigaster tobies, males maintain small harems and are territorial toward rival males, while females are more tolerant of each other within a male's territory.

The Papuan Toby is a hardy and engaging aquarium fish that adapts quickly to captive conditions. Its small adult size of about 4 inches makes it suitable for moderately sized marine aquariums. It is intelligent, curious, and quickly becomes interactive with its keeper. However, like all toby puffers, it poses a risk to reef aquariums due to its tendency to nip at coral polyps, clam mantles, tube worms, and other sessile invertebrates. Best suited for fish-only setups or carefully monitored reef tanks with the understanding that some nipping may occur.