Pea puffers are one of the most unique and rewarding nano fish to keep in your home aquarium. While they max out at an inch in size, they have a striking pattern and coloration that will draw instant attention. They have black patterns on a yellowish gold body that contrasts greatly against a variety of plants.
The small size of the pea puffer may make it seem like you can keep groups in a small tank and that is not always the case, pea puffers can be very aggressive toward each other so lots of plants or hiding places are recommended to prevent aggression. Groups of 3 or less are ideal for a 10-gallon but they can be kept by themselves with no problem. It is often recommended to not keep them in a community setting due to the chance of them nipping fins, instances of keeping otocinclus catfish with them without issues have been observed. We do not recommend keeping them with any type of shrimp.
The scientific name for the Pea Puffer is:Â Carinotetradon travancoricus
We recommend feeding live baby brine or other live foods such as small shrimp, daphnia, or scuds. We also feed our pea puffers a mix of frozen foods including daphnia, baby brine, cyclops, and Bloodworms. We occasionally feed them small Ramshorn, pond, and Malaysian Trumpet Snails to enhance their diet.
Our Tank Parameters
- Ph: 7.2 to 7.5
- Gh:Â 8 to 16
- Kh:Â 4 to 7
- TDS:180 to 250
- Temp:70Â to 74
Tank Recommendations
- Leaves:Â Indian Almond or Guava
- Wood: Mopani or Malaysian
- Cones: Alder Cones
Angela –
These guys are great! They were very tiny when I received them, but they have grown quickly! They are super inquisitive. Anything that goes into the tank, they are going to inspect it. I have 4 in a 15g tank along with 4 pygmy corys and 3 Oto’s