Pea Puffer Compatibility

[gary1]

I have a spare 5.5 Gallon hexagon tank, I would love to stock it with a pea puffer maybe in January, is there anything I would be able to include with the puffer? I've read various things online, some saying that it would be fine to keep shrimp with it, others saying it would be a massacre, but recently I stumbled across dwarf crayfish, would I be able to include one of these in the tank with it, thanks for any suggestions and help.

 

[FF_Member146894]

dwarf/pea puffers are heavily reliant on shoaling in the wild and one will be stressed on its own, but your tank is not big enough for a group

puffers will eat anything that resembles a prawn, shrimp, worm, etc no matter how big it is

 

[gary1]

dwarf/pea puffers are heavily reliant on shoaling in the wild and one will be stressed on its own, but your tank is not big enough for a group

puffers will eat anything that resembles a prawn, shrimp, worm, etc no matter how big it is

Really? I've read on lots of places that they could be kept by themselves without any issue, even on sites like aquarium co-op they said 1 in a 5 gallon is great. Is this really true? Because I might set aside this tank for now then.

 

[Avel1896]

Hey there
No tank mates. Puffers are well known fin nippers.

 

[FF_Member146894]

Really? I've read on lots of places that they could be kept by themselves without any issue, even on sites like aquarium co-op they said 1 in a 5 gallon is great. Is this really true? Because I might set aside this tank for now then.

check pufferfishenthusiastsworldwide.com for more accurate puffer care sheets and their section on dwarf puffer shoaling
you can also find many youtube videos showing them in their natural habitats such as this one

any shoaling or schooling fish that is kept alone show unusually more aggressive behavior among other things, which indicates stress, and it's no different for the dwarf puffer

 

[Avel1896]

Mine while nipping ! sorry for the poor quality.