Looking for an oddball centerpiece fish for a nano aquarium? Perhaps your tank has a snail overpopulation problem? Check out these tiny pea puffer fish! First: the warnings: Indian Dwarf Pea Puffers (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) should not be kept with slow moving, long finned fish such as Bettas. They love to aggressively nip and pick at fins. I have had success keeping a single Puffer with a school of quick darting Tetras, but I would not recommend it as a matter of course. If you do keep a Puffer with other fish in a community tank, do know that they are aggressively territorial. You will need to have plenty of space (a 20 gallon minimum), and lots of plants and decor to break up the line of sight for these guys, Secondly, Pea puffers will not eat dry foods. They are exclusively live and frozen feeders. They enjoy chopped up frozen bloodworms, live snails, and hatched baby brine shrimp in my tanks. I have heard of other hobbyists having some success with dry foods when these Pea Puffers are in groups. Didn't work for me though! If you are able to both: keep pea puffers in a species only tank, and feed them live foods, then they are remarkably undemanding! Now the perks: These Puffers are tiny! I keep one comfortably in a planted 5 gallon kingdom. They keep my tanks snail free. They are among the most intelligent fish I've ever kept. Distinct and endearing personalities make these a winner for me! Native to India, these are some of the only fully freshwater species of puffers in the world. Your puffers will grow to a maximum of 1". Purchase size is smaller, about 1/2", and are unsexed. Care Parameters: Carnivorous Puffers can be kept with quick moving community fish Should not be kept with Snails (including nerites and mysteries) or shrimp Males are territorial, so make space! Growth to a maximum of 1" 3-5 year life span Undemanding Water Parameters: PH: 6.0 - 7.5 Temperature: 70- 80 Degrees Hardness: 5- 15 dH I ship insulated with medicated water, and Purigen, by tracked and insured USPS Priority only, and use cool packs when needed. Do consider purchasing a heat pack if the temperatures in your area are below 40 degrees! Please arrange to pull these little guys right indoors once they arrive to your mailbox. USPS also has a free mail hold service on their website. Please utilize this service if no one can be home. New to keeping fish or shrimp? Proper drip acclimation helps reduce stress and gives your new aquatic pets the best start in their new home. Read our blog, How to Drip Acclimate Shrimp and Fish, for a simple step-by-step guide before adding them to your aquarium. While in quarantine before being sold, we treat all our live fish with the ‘Med Trio’; Maracyn for bacterial infections, Paracleanse for internal and external parasites, and Ich-X for fungal infections.
