Pea puffer care
Carinotetraodon travancoricus · Rivers of Kerala and Karnataka, India
Pea puffers are the smallest pufferfish, about an inch, and belong in a tank of their own.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 72 to 82 °F (22 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Adult size
- 1.4 in
- pH
- 7 to 8.3
- Hardness (GH)
- 5 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 4 to 5 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep pea puffers
Pea puffers are the smallest pufferfish, about an inch, and belong in a tank of their own. They live in large groups in the wild and fret when kept alone or in too small a group: keep three or more in a 10 gallon or larger, heavily planted tank with lots of sight breaks, with more females than males. They hunt snails and eat frozen foods; most never touch flakes.
Diet: Carnivore: frozen bloodworm, live snails, brine shrimp; rarely accepts flakes. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: All levels.
Pea 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.
Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own: they nip, bully or eat most tankmates.
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Cardinal tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Black neon tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Green neon tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Ember tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Glowlight tetra: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a pea puffer tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon pea puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon pea puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Pea puffers need 72 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 pea 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 72 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 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 pea puffer problems
- Fin nipping and bullying in community tanks; keep them with their own kind only.
- Males chase each other; plants and sight breaks spread the squabbles out.
- Overgrown teeth without snails to crunch; feed small snails regularly.
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: Carinotetraodon travancoricus. 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.
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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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