# Pea Puffer in a community tank? - Best ways to reduce aggresson



## Cali (Dec 18, 2014)

Looking to get some pea puffers in my tank. Its a community 36 gallon , ive read some people have done it but its hard. 

Would following their idea water chemistry guidelines, and having plenty of hiding spaces and ample feeding of bloodworms, brineshrimp, and snails be enough to keep them docile? Or am i just going to have my other fishes fins missing after a while.

Is it impossible or is it doable? Has any1 done it? MY LFS has them in a 65 gallon tank where they sell crypts and moss, and floating java fern on wood.. they seem to mostly hide in the java fern/wood forest.Theirs other fish in the tank to that are mostly 2 inches at least if i remember. Can this work longterm?


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## ErtyJr (Jun 21, 2014)

It's not just about feeding them although that helps.

First of all you need to get a female, preferably one that's been picked on a lot.

After that you need to pray. There is no one around it, most pea puffers are jerks. Once in a while one isnt. Just need to hope you get a nice one. 

You also have to have a back up plan because even if the fish turns out nice most of them are sold young, and they usually don't get super aggressive untill later in life back up plan is necessary!


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Keep the Puffer in a separate tank.


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## n25philly (Dec 12, 2013)

I would advise against it, but if you are going to try it on top of what's already been mentioned breaking up lines of sight is very important as well. They are very territorial but they are kind of "out of sight, out of mind". If they get aggressive and go after someone if they lose sight of them they will forget and move on.

Bottom line though, pea puffers are kind of a-holes. I very temporarily moved a puffer into my community tank when there was a problem with his tank. Half the time he was peaceful. The other half he would wait for fish to swim past him and as soon as they were by he would immediately turn around and nip their fin. Fortunately he wasn't there long enough to do any real damage, but it was likely just a matter of time.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Agree with the above, they get aggressive as they mature. I got 3 for my husbands densely planted 12g long (working on the "they need 3 gallons each" idea). I ended up with 1 male and 2 females... over the course of several months the male has harassed both females into jumping to their deaths (the last one had to really work to get out, lid only had a small hole for canister pipes). So now the male (my husband names him Grim - [cesnor of the deep] - (rhymes with nick)) is the only puffer in there.. but he is good with otos and has never even acknowledged them (from my reading this seems to be the ONLY safe fish with puffers..or shrimp). The fish is also a bit of an idiot.. I put 5 cherry/rilly shrimp mix in as live food after my failed first attempt at shrimp keeping.. the puffer never sees them as food and they've bred into a colony! He doesn't hunt any of them (even the babies swim by his face and get no reaction), I think I'm the killer with water changes (shrimplets are so hard to spot). But now I have a mini community tank where I expected to only have puffers... but I would not recommend trying a real fish community with them, they are major [censor] and seem to got after everyone (except otos... the shrimp thing with Grim is rare they usually peck those apart and eat 'em).


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Unless you happen to get a very rare docile one, it won't work. Pea puffers are mean little sons of female dogs. They are butts with intelligence and a sharp beak.


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## Vancat2 (Jun 23, 2010)

I tried it once, and won't ever again.


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## Kitsune_Gem (Apr 10, 2012)

I have one in a 30 gallon tank. He or she has been there for over a year now. True he or she killed off the other three I got over time, I expected that, but this little one doesn't bother any of its tank mates. Most of the time its zooming around looking for more snails to feed on. 

Though one of the ones that it almost killed off I gave to my friend to try and save it.. It turned into a sh*t head and tried to eat all her fish. Even her full grown black neons. So it got its own tank for a while before it died. 

I would say I got a rare docile one, that doesn't bother any of my other fish. 

If you do try it, you need to be ready to take it out and give it its own tank if it is to aggressive for yours.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Kitsune_Gem said:


> I have one in a 30 gallon tank. He or she has been there for over a year now. True he or she killed off the other three I got over time, I expected that, but this little one doesn't bother any of its tank mates. Most of the time its zooming around looking for more snails to feed on.
> 
> Though one of the ones that it almost killed off I gave to my friend to try and save it.. It turned into a sh*t head and tried to eat all her fish. Even her full grown black neons. So it got its own tank for a while before it died.
> 
> ...


Should be easy to tell gender if its a year old (could tell gender on min within a few weeks). Males are a darker orange-ish yellow and get 'wrinkles' by the eyes, and a more colored belly. Females stay a more pale yellow and always look a bit more plump, also they have tiny dots all over along with the bigger spots, also belly is usually paler than top/sides.
See photos (not mine) for easy gender identification:


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## thomeski (Feb 23, 2014)

Look for SAP south american puffer. The only community puffer there is. It actually prefer to live in groups. I've had 3 together in 90 gallon with corries and long fin black skirt tetras, no problem what so ever. Only downside is it needs snails daily. No pelets, snails and black worms


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## Oceangirl (Feb 5, 2013)

Good Luck. I read the same, it will either be a jerk and tear up every other fish in there or be docile and chill. I am not taking the chance and they have their own 10 gallon tank. 

(I just planted it 2 days ago. Needs to grow in a bit)


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## Goundar01 (Apr 16, 2014)

My 2 puffers in their own 10 gallon tank.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/C_Asellus/


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