Common Name: None (Rare Species - I believe I am the only person on the forum who keeps one)
Other Names: Sphoeroides darwinii, Tetraodon darwinii, Marylina pleurosticta
Family: Tetraodontidae
Distribution: From Pilbara coast of Australia around north coast to northern New South Wales; also in Papua New Guinea. Large population density in Darwin Harbour.
Water Parameters: Temp: 23-26C (74-80F); pH 7.4-8.4 Salinity - Brackish - Marine. The best bet is to give it the same salinity as where you caught it.
Personality/Temperament: A somewhat active fish, M. darwinii is a good community specimen, but wild-caught specimens (Unfortunately they are not bred on farms because of low demand) often do not survive. Of the three I have caught only one has survived for about 10 weeks. They are strange for puffers - as mentioned above they are a good community fish, and the only puffer I know that will not attack crustaceans, provided the latter are at least 3cm (1 inch long. They are peaceful with other species of puffers, fish and large invertebrates.
Max. size: 9.5 cm (3.75 inches) There have been unconfirmed reports of fish over 10 cm.
Estimated lifespan: Unknown ~ 6-10 years?
Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown.
Diet: Frozen bloodworms, crustacean meat. will not attack live crustaceans or fish. Will eat sea fans, fleshy plants and corals. Has rarely accepted live snails.
Care: Not much is known about its care. I am pioneering into it and have found that it requires large tanks of at least 70g. Send me a personal message if you have kept one.
Minimum Tank Size: 70g (140L)
FishBase code: Madar_u0
Links to other resources: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... e=darwinii
