Amazon puffer care
Colomesus asellus · Amazon basin
Amazon puffers are true freshwater puffers that are calmer than most puffers and get along with their own kind; kept alone they tend to be nervous.
- Tank size
- 29 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 74 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 5 in (standard length, without the tail)
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 10 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 29 gallon
30¼ × 12½ × 18¾ in outsideHow to keep Amazon puffers
Amazon puffers are true freshwater puffers that are calmer than most puffers and get along with their own kind; kept alone they tend to be nervous. A 29 gallon or larger tank with current suits a group of three or more, with fast, short-finned fish as tankmates. Feed snails to keep their teeth worn down.
Diet: Carnivore: snails, frozen bloodworm, krill. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: All levels.
Amazon puffer tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Snowball pleco
5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
Red lizard whiptail catfish
5 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Butterfly pleco
5.1 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
Blind cave tetra
4.7 in · 29+ gal · 68–77 °F
Swordtail
5.5 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Pearl gourami
4.5 in · 29+ gal · 77–82 °F
Rubbernose pleco
5.7 in · 30+ gal · 68–77 °F
Green phantom pleco
5.9 in · 40+ gal · 77–84 °F
Keep apart
- Golden pencilfish: Amazon puffers nip slow fish such as golden pencilfish.
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: Amazon puffers need 74 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Guppy: Amazon puffers nip long fins like those of guppies.
Betta: Amazon puffers nip long fins like those of bettas.
Angelfish: Amazon puffers nip long fins like those of angelfish.
Discus: Amazon puffers nip slow fish such as discus.
What an Amazon puffer tank needs
A tank of 29 US gallons or more (such as the 29 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon Amazon puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon Amazon puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Pro 100W
Amazon puffers need 74 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding Amazon puffers.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 74 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 29 gallon tank · Heaters for a 29 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common Amazon puffer problems
- They nip slow and long-finned fish such as angelfish, guppies and corydoras.
- Teeth overgrow without hard-shelled food.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Colomesus asellus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red lizard whiptail catfish Ckf6412, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Butterfly pleco Alberto Alcalá (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blind cave tetra James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swordtail Usien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rubbernose pleco Frank Alvarez, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green phantom pleco 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mbu puffer Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fahaka puffer Earedien, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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