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Blue-Spotted Toby
Puffer

Blue-Spotted Toby

Canthigaster solandri

The blue-spotted (spotted sharpnose) toby is a small, hardy pufferfish that tops out around 11–12 cm, so it fits in far more modest tanks than its giant Arothron cousins. It's an inquisitive, personable fish but a genuine fin-nipper, and its diet naturally includes molluscs, crustaceans and coral tissue — so ornamental shrimp, snails and even coral polyps are all fair game, making it reef-caution rather than reef-safe. Like all puffers it needs hard-shelled foods (snails, shell-on shrimp) to wear down its ever-growing beak, and its skin carries tetrodotoxin, so it should always be handled with care.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
4.7"
Min tank
50 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe with caution
Diet
Omnivore
Zone
Mid-water, Rockwork
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Blue-Spotted Toby gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Valentini PufferBlue-Spotted Toby and Valentini Puffer are the same genus (Canthigaster) and will fight — keep only one.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue-Spotted Toby.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Trochus SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Trochus Snail is on the menu.Astrea SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.Nerite SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nerite Snail is on the menu.Bumble Bee SnailBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Bumble Bee Snail is on the menu.Scarlet Reef Hermit CrabBlue-Spotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselBlue-Spotted Toby and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselBlue-Spotted Toby and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangBlue-Spotted Toby and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangBlue-Spotted Toby and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangBlue-Spotted Toby and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangBlue-Spotted Toby and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishBlue-Spotted Toby and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow Clown GobyBlue-Spotted Toby (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyBlue-Spotted Toby (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Convict TangBlue-Spotted Toby and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishBlue-Spotted Toby and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Canary BlennyBlue-Spotted Toby and Canary Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.