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Whitespotted Toby
Puffer

Whitespotted Toby

Canthigaster jactator

Endemic to Hawaii, the whitespotted toby is one of the hardiest small puffers in the trade, topping out at only about 9 cm. It's an opportunistic omnivore that will happily pick off ornamental shrimp, snails, crabs and worms, and it has a reputation as a fin-nipper towards slower tankmates, so it suits a fish-only or invert-light setup rather than a delicate mixed reef. Its skin and organs carry tetrodotoxin as a natural defence, so it should always be handled carefully.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
3.5"
Min tank
30 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 Whitespotted 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.

Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Valentini PufferWhitespotted 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 Whitespotted Toby.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Whitespotted Toby.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Astrea SnailWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.Nerite SnailWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nerite Snail is on the menu.Bumble Bee SnailWhitespotted Toby hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Bumble Bee Snail is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishWhitespotted Toby and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselWhitespotted Toby and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselWhitespotted Toby and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishWhitespotted Toby and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishWhitespotted Toby and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishWhitespotted Toby and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishWhitespotted Toby and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishWhitespotted Toby and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangWhitespotted Toby and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishWhitespotted Toby and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangWhitespotted Toby and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangWhitespotted Toby and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangWhitespotted Toby and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishWhitespotted Toby and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Convict TangWhitespotted Toby and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishWhitespotted Toby and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishWhitespotted Toby and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Canary BlennyWhitespotted Toby and Canary Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Forktail BlennyWhitespotted Toby and Forktail Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Achilles TangWhitespotted Toby and Achilles Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.