In the past few decades, aquarium culture has increased the number of different species originating from India. The fish species that we are going to talk about today is the Pea Puffer Fish, a native of India.
Pea puffers are small but considered intelligent for their size. They have a strange body structure and an exceptional appearance. However, their behavior and activity will add engagement to your tank.
In this article, we will learn about Pea Puffer’s appearance, behaviors, ideal tank size, care, and breeding process. Before jumping to details, let’s take a brief look at the table given below –
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Family | Tetraodontiformes |
| Scientific Name | Carinotetraodon travancoricus |
| Care Level | Intermediate |
| Size | 1.4 inches |
| Color Form | Yellow |
| Lifespan | 4 Years |
| Temperament | Territorial and aggressive |
| Diet | Mainly carnivorous |
Pea Puffer Overview
Pea Puffer can grow up to 1.4 inches only, making them the smallest family member. They are known by many names, such as Mini Puffer Fish, Dwarf Pea Puffer, Pea Puffer Fish, Dwarf Pufferfish, Pygmy Pufferfish, and Malabar Pufferfish.
They are known for exhibiting unique features. They can change their color and use each eye independently of the others.
Dwarf Puffer Lifespan
Their small size, ease of care, and 4-year lifespan make them quite popular among aquarists. But this popularity has harmed them. They are now on the verge of extinction because they are being caught from the wild.
So, try to purchase them from a store that has a reputation for breeding fish in captivity. Purchasing them from the store will also allow you to select the healthier species for your tank.
These fish are easily available in the stores, and you can purchase them for $4 per fish.
Typical Behavior
Their small size makes them surprisingly aggressive and territorial, especially the male species. So, it is important to keep a single male in the tank, and also, there should be at least two females over a single male.
It will help reduce their aggression while encouraging breeding. They are curious little fish who pay close attention to whatever is happening inside and outside the tank. They will also keep an eye on you.
Pea Puffer fish are social and can be seen moving in a shoal, whereas the other members of their family are loners. They can occupy the whole tank and swim in the upper and lower parts, scavenging for food among the plants.
Pea Puffer Appearance
Pea Puffer Size
Pea Puffers are the smallest species when compared to other members of their family. They can grow up to 1.4 inches only hence the name ‘Pea Puffer’.
Despite their small size, they show different behaviors and have an extraordinary appearance. Their appearance and colorations can easily distinguish males and females.
Both of them have a round body that narrows down, reaching their dorsal and anal fins. They have big bulging eyes on both sides of the head, which looks appealing to their appearance.
Males are distinguished by the dark golden-green coloration with a bright yellow belly. They also have a thick, dark-colored stripe on their belly running from the chins to the anus. They also have wrinkles around the eyes that resemble iridescent cracks on the skin.
In contrast, the females have lighter yellowish-green coloration with a faded yellow-white belly. The belly lines and wrinkles around the eyes are not present in the female Pea Puffers.
Both males and females have black spots on their bodies. As they mature, males’ spots look more like blotchy stripes. In comparison, female spots are usually irregular and confined to a round shape.
The females are less shy as compared to males and spend most of their time scavenging for food.
Pea Puffer Tank Requirements and Habitat
The Pea Puffers are found in the lakes, rivers, and estuaries of South-Western parts of India. They are freshwater fishes but can be found living in the brackish waters of estuaries. But it reduces their life expectancy.
Pea Puffers prefer the low-flowing or still water of rivers and lakes. These waters are rich in heavy plantations, helping them find shelter from the heavy flow and become the prey of bigger fish.
These waters are also a perfect habitat for them, as they can get 10-12 hours of sunlight here, and the plants help them feed or breed.
It is easy to replicate the environment of their natural habitat in your tank. By following the given water conditions, you can easily make them feel at home.
| Conditions | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Minimum Tank Size | 5 Gallons per fish |
| Pond Set-Up | Heavily planted |
| Compatible | Tropical freshwater |
| Temperature | 77-79°F |
| pH | 6.5-8.5 |
For substrate, you can use fine particle gravel or coarse sand for the plants to spread their roots effortlessly. You can add a variety of plants as more plants will give them a feel of their natural habitat.
Stargrass, Java Moss, Cabomba, and Anubias Nana are some of the great plant options for Pea Puffer’s tank. These plants will oxygenate the water and help maintain the aquarium’s health.
These will also keep your fish healthy and encourage breeding. You can get pairs of long tweezers or scissors to maintain the plants, avoid getting nipped by the fish, and avoid plants overcrowding the tank.
What Should be the Pea Puffer Tank Size?
Pea Puffers are small so that a single fish can be easily kept in a tank with a minimum capacity of 5 gallons. You will need a tank with a minimum capacity of 20 gallons to store one male and three females for breeding.
Pea Puffer Diet and Feeding
Pea Puffer food
The Pea Puffers are mainly carnivores. In their natural habitat, they feed on small amounts of microscopic algae, larvae, insects, water fleas, and copepods. You can add variety to the tank by adding live or frozen food.
They will happily eat brine shrimp, bloodworms, small shrimps, cyclops, and snails. You can also add algae wafers sometimes, but there is less chance that the fish will feed on them.
Pea Puffer Diet
Pea Puffers are gastronomes and eat actively, so it is easy to overfeed them. Feed them twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, only the amount they can finish in 3 minutes.
Overfeeding can make the fish sick and increase the Nitrate levels in the tank, which in turn will increase the number of algae growths. One of the easiest ways to avoid all this is by making a coconut feeder (which can also be purchased from the stores).
You can put the food inside it and hang it or put it in the bottom of the tank using tweezers to avoid getting bitten by the fish.
As we mentioned earlier, these fish are very intelligent. They will recognize your movement when you enter the room to feed them.
Pea Puffer Tank Mates
These fishes are quite social and can live in a large shoal in their natural environment. Filament Barbs, Paral Fish, Long-finned Barbs, Orange Chromide, and Malabar Leaf Fish are some other wild companions.
Despite their social behavior, they are not considered a good companion for the other species of fishes. They are quite aggressive and can get territorial if other fishes invade in their area.
We do not recommend keeping them in the community tank, but if you want to experiment, add only fast swimmers and small fish.
Ember Tetras, Glowlight Tetra, Neon Tetras, Mosquito Rasbora, Harlequin Rasbora, Filament Barb, Zebra Danio, Leopard Danio, Siamese Algae Eaters, and Dwarf Otocinclus are some of the fishes whom you can keep with them.
Avoid keeping them with large predatory fish like Catfish or small, long-tailed/fine-finned, and slow-moving fish like Guppies, which will easily be attacked or nipped by the Pea Puffers.
You should also avoid non-fish varieties in Pea Puffer’s tank as they are likely to hunt down the small species of Shrimps. Small snails like Bladder Snails or Malaysian Trumpet Snails are also not safe from your Pea Puffers. So, avoid keeping them.
If you want to keep them in the community tank, keep an extra tank with the same setup. It is for emergencies when you must separate fish for the medication and other treatments.
Can Pea Puffers be Kept Together?
We highly recommend keeping the Pea Puffer fish in a group tank rather than a community tank. Also, avoid keeping two males in the same tank. It will create tension, and they can be seen fighting over the territory.
But you can add females; normally, the ratio of 1:3 male to female is better. Keeping females in a group will create a calmer atmosphere, as they don’t show any signs of aggression.
This ratio also increases the chance of successful breeding.
Pea Puffer Care
Dwarf Puffer Fish Care
Pea Puffer or Dwarf Puffer fishes are hardy but can also get infected by common freshwater diseases. The injured fish is also prone to different infections, which can be fatal if left uncured.
This can become a common problem if you keep two males in the same tank. The males are aggressive towards each other and easily get into a fight. They can bite, nip the fin, or take a chunk of flesh from each other’s bodies.
Even a little scratch in their body can become a source of infection into their body, so avoid keeping the two males in the tank. If you do, you have to be prepared with another tank for the regular treatment of one of them or both.
As with other freshwater fish, temperature change can also affect the health of your Pufferfish. It can weaken their immune system, further inviting different diseases, and Ich infection is common among them.
Ich infection or White Spot disease is hard to identify initially. This disease is caused by a parasite called Cryptocaryon irritans. It causes white spots all over the body, and the fish has the urge to scratch itself on different surfaces.
Treatments for this disease are available in different pet stores. The best medication for this disease contains copper sulfate and formalin as its base.
This disease can be avoided by feeding healthy food to the fish and doing regular aquarium clean-ups. The Pea Puffers create a lot of mess while eating. This food gets stuck in the substrate and gradually ruins the quality of the water.
It is important to regularly clean the substrate to remove any leftover food or parasitic spores. The gravel vacuum effortlessly does this. You can also add foods to boost their immune systems.
Products containing garlic are best for this purpose. Garlic will also help encourage feeding, especially in newly purchased fish. However, wild-caught species will refuse to eat it.
Pea Puffer Breeding
Breeding Pea Puffer is quite easy in captivity. But you have to make sure of a few things, such as the water temperature should be constant and around 79ºF, and there should be a sponge filter in the tank.
It will reduce the flow and prevent the young ones from getting sucked into the filter. There should be a heavy plantation in the tank as well. The main tank is suitable for breeding, but you can create a separate one if you want.
You can also add bogwood into the tank as it will give them a more familiar look at their natural habitat.
A 5-gallon breeding tank will be enough for a male and female pair. The male usually chases around the female until she is ready to spawn. After this, the female takes the male into the hiding places of plants to lay eggs.
A Java Moss clump is perfect for spawning. After spawning, it may take around 48 hours for the eggs to hatch. The fries will stay in the eggs for 2-3 days to soak up the egg yolk entirely.
When the fries start separating from the eggs, you can feed them with a mix of newly hatched brine shrimps and live infusoria. This mix will encourage faster growth.
Pea Puffer Summary
Pea Puffers are small, intelligent fish infamous for their aggression and territorial behavior. This is why they are not compatible with mates in a community tank.
However, they can be kept in the group as long as there is a 1:2 ratio of males to females. The male Pea Puffer fish are the aggressive ones, but they have more appealing colorations than the females.
If kept in healthy water conditions, the fish will be healthy and less prone to diseases. Healthy water conditions also ensure that the fish live a healthy and long life.
The female fish are more active and can be seen actively swimming around the tank, scavenging for food. This makes them good hunters as well.
Do you have Pea Pufferfish in your tank? Have you tried keeping them in the community tank? If so, how was your experience?
