Pea Puffers are quite intriguing as a fish and a hobby. But a lot of people don’t know how the tank size determines the number of puffers.
So, how many pea puffers are suitable in different gallon tanks?
Pea puffers have a possessive and occasionally violent disposition. Therefore, they require a lot of area in a tank to move and roam. The regulation is 5 gallons of water per pea puffer if intended to keep more than one. Then, for each extra puffer fish, we add 3 litres of water.
It still might be unclear to you. Don’t worry, because this whole article is about the maintenance of puffer fish. So let’s get started.
What Are Pea Puffers?
Pea Puffers are some of the strangest and most fascinating species in the world. While most fish are saltwater species, few are brackish, and even fewer are freshwater-only species.
In the wild, puffer fish are aggressive predators and invertebrate hunters. The Pea Puffer, also known as the Dwarf Puffer, originates in southwest India. More than a dozen rivers in the area contain them.
Pea Puffers are endangered by loss of habitat and the aquarium trade. However, many fish farms seek to breed Pea Puffers as they grow in popularity. Certain conditions have to be met before breeding them in an aquarium. So, we have to take care of the pufferfish properly.
Without meeting them, breeding them cannot be successful. So Pea Puffer breeding with quite popular nowadays.
What Is Pea Puffer Tank Size?
Pea Puffers may be kept in even micro aquariums due to their tiny size. They may be bred in gallon tanks or aquariums of various sizes. Typically, it depends on the number of puffer fish present.
There should always be more females than males in the tank. Three females to one male are the perfect ratio. Puffer Pea Fish are challenging to mate until fully grown. They don’t truly have a set gender until certain dominant fish can transition to becoming males. This happens due to social dynamics and maturation.
They are by far the pufferfish species that are maintained the most frequently. Pea Puffer’s full size is only 2.5 cm. Thus, a large number of fish may be produced simultaneously in a little area. They are therefore highly well-liked, and demand for them has only increased.
Let’s see how the tank size determines how many puffer fish can you breed.
3 Gallon Tank
A 3-gallon tank is optimal for a single species environment. If the tank you are using is 3-gallon, only one puffer fish should be there. Normally a bigger tank is better to breed puffer fish. But if we only have a 3-gallon tank, it is possible. In this case, don’t exceed more than one pufferfish.
5 Gallon Tank
Pea puffers may be fiercely territorial. One pea puffer can be successfully maintained in a five-gallon aquarium. If we would like, we can add more. But for a 5-gallon tank, 1 puffer fish works best for the best yield.
The basic rule of thumb is to give the first puffer five gallons of water. And then 3 gallons of water per pufferfish.
10 Gallon Tank
Three puffers could be manageable if our aquarium is lush and well planted. The tank has to be 10 gallons for this. After meeting the requirements, we can easily breed our fishes in the aquarium.
15 Gallon Tank
15 gallons is the perfect area for breeding puffer fish. We can easily put 4 puffer fish in a 15-gallon area. But we have to make sure the aquarium is lush and well-planted. This gives the puffer fish a lot of hiding areas.
We can also put clay pots in for a better environment in the aquarium.
29 Gallon Tank
Pea puffers have a possessive and occasionally violent disposition. Therefore, they require a lot of areas in an aquarium to swim and explore. The basic “rule-of-thumb” is 5 gallons of water for each pea puffer. It is if we plan to maintain more than one.
3 litres of water are then added for each new puffer fish after that. A 29-gallon tank should never hold more than 9 or 10 pea puffers at once.
30 Gallon Tank
There isn’t much of a difference between a 29-gallon and a 30-gallon tank. The puffer fish capacity for both tanks is somewhat similar. So like the 29-gallon tank, we can put 9-10 puffer fish in the 30-gallon tank.
Before doing so, we have to create the perfect environment for the Pea Puffers.
What Is The Water Condition For Pea Puffer?
Indian puffer fish are endemic to slower-moving, heavily-planted waterways. They like a pH between 6.8 and 8. Water should be between 72 and 82 degrees and have a hardness range of 5-25 dKH.
Regular water changes are required since clean water is necessary. So, disposing of aquarium water is necessary.
Maintaining steady pH levels is more crucial than aiming for a certain value. Once more, they are not the quickest swimmers. Therefore, a soft filter with a slower flow rate should also be used. A few filters are mentioned below that we can use for our tank.
Products | Price |
Tetra Whisper | $20.30 |
MarineLand Penguin 350 | $52.00 |
OASE Aquatics Filosmart | $89.00 |
What To Feed Pea Puffers?
The optimal diet for these ferocious carnivores consists of frozen and live meals. Normally, they won’t eat dry food, but we’ve had success using Hikari Vibra Bites. They sink because they resemble bloodworms in appearance and even in movement.
The majority of bigger pufferfish require hard, crunchy food to crush down their constantly expanding teeth. Fortunately, pea puffers are exempt from this issue.
Therefore, it is not a deal breaker if we are unable to obtain live snails. We just have to be careful to give a variety of frozen foods to our pets. It lets them receive all the necessary nutrients for a long and healthy existence.
Can They Live With Other Fish?
One of the most often asked questions regarding pea puffers is this one. And there’s no simple way to respond to it. Even while most puffers are rather fierce and territorial, others can be a little shy. It’s comparable to having a dog that frequently fights.
So, if we want pea puffers, we get them with the intention of keeping them alone. As a result, we won’t be able to install any cleaners or algae eaters.
Thus, we’ll be required to perform more tank maintenance on our own. Pea puffs can occasionally be a bit messy. Particularly if they don’t capture every scrap of food that ends out in the water.
Therefore, using live aquarium plants to assist in consuming hazardous waste components would be advantageous. A balanced, heavily planted aquarium should have very minimal algae growth. It offers our young fish a gorgeous underwater forest to explore.
FAQs
Can Pea Puffer Live With Guppies?
Guppies and pea puffers may both live in the same habitat. However, containing them in a single tank will always be a bad idea. Little pea puffers are ferocious predators. They like nibbling on whatever meat they come upon. They will thus undoubtedly not spare the guppies.
How Many Pea Puffers Should Be Kept Together?
How many Pea Puffers should be kept together depends on the aquarium size. The bigger the size of the aquarium, the more Pea Puffers we can keep together. Also, a good environment has to be created in the aquarium. So it’s better not to overcrowd them.
Do Pea Puffers Need To Be In A Group?
Puffers do not require friends or companions in order to be happy, unlike us. They won’t experience loneliness or depression. Quite often, the reverse is true. Because if kept as individuals, they may be far more amiable to their keeper.
Conclusion
Now we have the answer to how many pea puffers in different gallon tanks. If you are a beginner, it can be hard for you to breed them.
So only after creating the perfect environment, you can get the maximum output. So pick the right size tank depending on your need.
Good luck breeding Pea Puffers!