Pea puffer
Carinotetraodon travancoricus
Adult needs, habitat, social behaviour and care sources for this fish.
At a glance
Welfare notes
- This is a social species. Keep in groups of at least 6; smaller groups cause chronic stress.
- Known to nip fins. Avoid keeping with long-finned tank mates such as bettas, angelfish or guppies.
- A predator. Will eat any tank mate small enough to fit in its mouth.
- Territorial and aggressive. Needs careful tank-mate selection and often more space than the minimum suggests.
- Native habitat: sluggish heavily vegetated inland waters.
Where this care information comes from
Confidence: medium · reviewed 9/20/2026
Pufferfish Enthusiasts Worldwide (group-care approach; compare Aquarium Co-Op)Same-species strategy: shoal · Where sexable, aim for at least two females per male. Monitor every fish for feeding and persistent bullying.
Social but territorial. FishTankr follows a group-care approach: plan 6 or more with dense planting, broken sightlines and adequate footprint. Groups do not eliminate aggression. Sources differ on solitary care; seek experienced help before introducing fish to an established solitary puffer.
Australia reference notes
Import rules and the rules for keeping a fish are not always the same.
- Federal import
- Import status not yet verified
- Keeping this species
- Check state or territory rules
- Evidence confidence
- Incomplete. Check the current rules before relying on this.
- Last reviewed
- Not recorded
We still need to add a source for this jurisdiction.
These notes only cover Australia and may not apply where you live. Rules can also change, so check with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before buying, moving or collecting fish.
How FishTankr checks this fish
This fish affects tank mates, swimming room and water. The cycle can limit the score. Waste load and biotope match stay separate.
Species compatibility
When FishTankr checks this fish against its tank mates, it considers that it may eat smaller tank mates, which creates a critical conflict and limits the overall score; it may nip the fins of long-finned fish; its aggressive temperament can put peaceful community fish at risk.
Waste load (beta)
Each Pea puffer adds about 1.0 to our early-stage waste estimate. We only use this to show a broad beta band. It does not set a safe fish limit, and a faster pump cannot improve it.
Space to swim
This fish needs at least 60 L for adult swimming and territory. It is an active swimmer, so tank length matters as much as volume.
Biotope match
This fish comes from South Asian river (sluggish heavily vegetated inland waters), where the pH is typically 6–7.5 and the temperature 24–28 °C. The optional biotope match looks for fish, water and décor from the same region.
Regional reference
Australian federal records list this fish as permitted for import with conditions. State or territory rules may still apply, so check the source before buying.
Where to buy
We do not track shop stock. Pick your location and we will run a live search for Pea puffer on each independent shop's own website.
Search links go straight to each shop's own site, so you always see their current stock, not our copy of it. Delivery details show the date we last checked them on the shop's site.
Individual fish vary. Check each species’ needs and local regulations before you buy.