Care
The Jewel Pufferfishis known from a wide variety of habitats including sheltered rocky reefs,intertidal reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs, habitually between depths of10-36m (33-118ft). Adults are often found in pairs, whereas juveniles may beseen in small groups, staying close to corals or under ledges. This species isbest maintained in a "˜fish only, with live rock"™ aquarium where it would poseno danger to corals, ornamental snails, shrimp and other small prized inverts.Tankmates should be chosen carefully; species with long fins should be avoided,as occasional puffer specimens will nip and leave their tell-tale circularholes in the fins. This behaviour is more likely to become apparent in smalltanks, so adequate space must be given. Jewel Pufferfish should bekept singly, unless a mated male-female pair can be acquired, and even then,they should be watched carefully lest the male becomes too aggressive. Willfight with other members of the
Canthigastergenus. This species is mimicked by the filefish
Paraluteres arqat, which, in the wild, shoals with the Jewel Pufferfish so that predators avoid it - assuming it to be one of thetoxic puffers. This mimic filefish should not be housed with its model pufferwithin the confines of an aquarium, as the pufferfish is likely to pick on it.As with all pufferfish, it should never be deliberately provoked into inflatingitself. When handling this fish, it is best to herd it into a container, ratherthan using a net and lifting the fish clear of the water where it may ingestair. This species was once thought to be synonymous with the Papuan Toby (
C. papua) but they are now considereddistinct species.
C. solandri isreplaced by the Pearl Toby (
C. margaritata)in the Red Sea. May also be seen on sale as the Spotted Sharpnose Pufferfish.
Feeding
Offer a varied diet foromnivores. Meaty items should include krill, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp,chopped cockle/ mussel/ hard-shelled shrimp/ squid/ fish/clam meat etc., andherbivore rations such Nori, spirulina tablets, vegetable matter etc. Browseson red and green filamentous algae, red coralline algae, and devours many tinycritters found in the live rock (this action should help keep the beak worndown). Feed small amounts 3 times per day.
Breeding
Jewel Pufferfishhave not been bred in captivity. In the wild, this species is known to formdistinct pairs during spawning. The female will signal her readiness to spawnby displaying her belly (which will be swollen with eggs) to the male and hewill then follow her closely. This courtship ritual of showing and following takessome time, with the resulting eggs laid/fertilized in a demersal nest, usuallyconsisting of plant material such as within large tufts of algae. The female mayspend a little time waggling her anal fin to push the eggs further into theclump, but after that, neither of the adults are said to show any parentalcare.
