Spiny Box Puffer

The Spiny Box Puffer is a distinctive member of the Diodontidae family found throughout the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. Unlike true pufferfish in the Tetraodontidae family, burrfish have short, fixed spines that are permanently erect rather than lying flat against the body. This species features a rounded, box-like body covered in these short, stout spines, with a yellowish to olive-brown coloration marked by dark spots and blotches. Its large, expressive eyes and permanent spiny armor give it a charmingly rugged appearance.

In the wild, Chilomycterus schoepfi inhabits seagrass beds, sandy bottoms, and coral reef margins from the southeastern United States and Bahamas through the Caribbean to Brazil. It is a slow-moving, bottom-oriented fish that forages by blowing jets of water into the sand to expose buried invertebrates. Its powerful fused jaw plates are designed for crushing hard-shelled prey including crabs, sea urchins, mollusks, and barnacles.

In the aquarium, the Spiny Box Puffer is hardy, personable, and relatively easy to care for, making it a good choice for beginner to intermediate marine aquarists. It quickly becomes tame, learning to recognize its keeper and eagerly begging for food. At a maximum size of around 10 inches, it requires a moderately sized tank of at least 75 gallons. It is not reef-safe due to its appetite for invertebrates, but it makes an excellent resident of fish-only and FOWLR setups.