Pea Puffer Fish Care

Pea Puffer Care

The Pea Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) is the world's smallest Pufferfish, with many referring to them as the Pygmy Puffer.  Originating from India (many cool nano-sized fish come from India's waterways), this Puffer is 100% freshwater.  Yes, not brackish but a true freshwater fish. 

Though it can be nippy and quite aggressive to fish with longer tails and fins, it can also be successfully kept in a community fish tank when there is ample space, plants and other things that can "break their line of sight."  We've successfully kept them in 20-100 gallon planted tanks with a whole array of different fish such as Tetras, Rams, larger sized Amano shrimp and larger snails such as Nerites or Rabbit Snails, just to name a few examples of potential tank-mates.  It's a gamble with some Pea Puffers as each individual fish does have their own temperament and personality.  

Water Conditions

76-82 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature you'd want to keep the tank at so these little Pea Puffers can be happy and healthy.  pH-wise, they are quite hardy and adaptable in a wide range of parameters but stability is key and we typically keep them in a range between 6.5 - 7.5 (groups of them are split between a few different tanks of varying parameters).  Many people have had successful breeding in these parameters in their home aquariums.

Feeding The Pea Puffer

Food is one thing the Pea Puffer can be finicky about.  We haven't had much success with feeding any of our Puffers dry food but they will readily accept live blackworms, daphnia, bloodworms, brine shrimp and snails.  Frozen variations of the mentioned foods can also be tough for them to accept but keep trying until you've weaned them onto it.  Our Pea Puffers have a varied diet consisting of bladder snails, blackworms and frozen baby brine shrimp.  

The Pea Puffer is one very curious fish and are known to be aware of the outside world outside of their aquarium.  When well taken care of, you will have years of joy keeping these intelligent little Pufferfish.  

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