Pea puffer also known as dwarf puffer is the smallest freshwater fish that can puff up. It's a popular aquarium fish but it's more suitable for experienced fish owners.
Pea Puffer, also known as dwarf puffer or pygmy puffer is a small freshwater fish than has the abillity to puff up when it feels threatened.
Its scientific name, which like most is very hard to pronounce, is Carinotetraodon travancoricus. It is also called the Indian dwarf puffer because its natural habitat consists of the rivers and lakes in India.
Pea Puffer is the smallest of the pufferfish family and like most pufferfish (yes you guessed right) it can inflate! Pea puffers are very cute, probably because of their big eyes compared to their small size and their helicopter-like motion.
Another fascinating thing about them, is their ability to change color and the fact that they can move their eyes independently.
Pea puffer size
As far as their size, they can grow an average of 1,5 inches (3.8 centimeters) in length. They are considered to be the smallest of all puffers.
How long does a pea puffer live – lifespan
The average lifespan of a Pea Puffer is 3-4 years. Keeping your pea puffer alone in its tank will also give you more chance of keeping it alive, taking into consideration its aggressiveness we mentioned earlier.
Are Pea Puffers Good Pets?
Although Pea Puffers are very cute and can even learn to recognize you, it’s really not a pet for beginners. Due to its aggressiveness and its eating habits, the best thing for someone is first to gain some experience with other fish and after a while, move on to pea puffers.
Can Pea puffer fish inflate?
Yes they can, however it is rare. Puffer fish puff up by swallowing large amounts of water that goes into their stomach. This is a defense mechanism that makes them bigger in size so other fish can't swallow them.
Pea Puffer Tank
Pea puffer is a territorial fish. This means that it protects its territory from other fish, even of its own kind. So it’s best if it’s kept alone.
If Pea Puffer is your thing though and you plan on buying more than one, there are some things you can do to reduce its aggressiveness.
Although the bigger the size the better, the general rule of thumb for your pea puffer’s tank is to provide five gallons of water for the first puffer and three gallons of water for each additional puffer. Here’s an example of the minimum water volume:
It also helps if you buy two females for every male.
Pea puffer tank mates
If you want to keep them in a big tank with other fish the best choice is small freshwater fish that can swim fast like:
- Dwarf Otocinclus
- Leopard or Zebra Danio
- Neon or Ember Tetras
- Harlequin Rasbora.
Pea Puffers have enemies too, though. You should avoid keeping them in a tank with large species such as Catfish or Guppies. They tend to attack little pea puffers and nip their fins.
Pea Puffer water temperature
Another thing you need to consider is the water characteristics. Since they are tropical fish, the tank water temperature needs to be between 74-82°F (23-28 celsius) and the PH level between 7 and 8.
What Do Pea Puffers Eat?
Don’t let the looks fool you! Pea Puffers are carnivores. This means that they feed of other animals, not plants. Their main diet consists of:
- Bloodworms
- blackworms
- pest snails
- shrimps
If you want your pea puffers to get all the necessary vitamins they need, frozen food is the best choice.
Pea puffer price
The cost of getting a pea puffer doesn’t consist of the pet’s price only. You’ll also need some necessary accessories such as an aquarium and its equipment!
A rough estimate is $200 and includes:
1. Pea puffer: $4 – $5
Pea puffers don't cost much. Their price is $4 – $5 per fish.
2. Aquarium: $50-$150
Although Pea Puffers are very small, the tank that you’ll need depends on the number of pea puffers you have, as we mentioned before.
3. Live plants and decorations: $25-$150
If you’re planning on getting a Pea Puffer, you must be prepared to spend some money on live plants, too. That is because of the remaining of the frozen food you provide.
Live plants really help in keeping your aquarium clean, but the cost depends on the quantity and the size of the plant. You will also need to buy some rocks or gravel for the tank bottom.
4. Tank Filter (optional) : $20-$100
Although you don’t really need a filter, if you don’t have enough live plants into your pea puffer’s tank or if your pea puffer is a little bit messy, you might consider buying yourself one to keep the water clean.
An alternative is buying some Siamese Algae Eaters, which is the only species of Algae Eaters that is considered to get along with pea puffers.
5. Water treatment: $15
Tap water usually contains chlorine, so you need to put some drops of water treatment substances to keep the tank water clean and non-toxic for your fish.
Is pea puffer poisonous?
Although most puffers contain tetrodotoxin, which is a lethal toxin (it means you die if you eat it!!!), pea puffer is not poisonous.
How Do You Tell the Difference Between a Male and Female Pea Puffer?
Although pea puffers’ gender is a little bit hard to tell when it is young, once it becomes an adult, it is quite easy. Males have distinct iridescent markings around their eyes that almost look like bright wrinkles, while females don't.
Males also have a dark belly stripe which begins under their chin and ends up at their tail. A third difference is that the spotted markings of the males, while they age, will blend into lines while the females will have random and defined spots.
Other types of puffer fish
Some of the most popular types of Puffer fish according to National Geographic are:
- The valentin's sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
- The southern puffer (Sphoeroides nephelus)
- The blue-spotted puffer (Canthigaster solandri)
- The Mbu pufferfish (Tetraodon mbu)
Another fish that you can have as a pet is the Oscar Fish and the Xray fish. Make sure to check some interesting fact and information about this fish with the unique personality!
Relative articles about Pea Puffer
- Pea Puffer Care Sheet from pufferfishenthusiastsworldwide.com
- How to keep Dwarf puffer fish from practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
You can find this article in Greek here
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