Saltwater
Spotted boxfish
Ostracion meleagris
Ostraciidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 25 cm
- Body shape
- Deep-bodied
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 375 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in American Samoa, Australia, China, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Ecuador, France, French Polynesia, and 31 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Inhabits clear lagoon and seaward reefs from the lower surge zone to at least 30 meters. Juveniles among rocky boulders, often with long spined urchins, and adults on reef crests and slopes. Males swim about more openly than females that are often in close vicinity to the males. Solitary. Feeds on didemnid tunicates, polychaetes, sponges, mollusks, copepods, and algae. Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Ostracion camurum
- Ostracion clippertonense
- Ostracion lentiginosus
- Ostracion meleagris meleagris
- Ostracion punctatus
- Ostracion sebae
In other languages
- Blåplettet kuffertfisk, Blå Kuffertfisk
- Black box-fish, Black boxfish, Blue-spotted boxfish, Box, Spotted trunkfish, Whitespotted boxfish
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.