Pea puffers in the hobby are now widely accepted across the hobby as shoaling and social fish. There was a time when it was suggested only to keep one per tank, as they can be aggressive. Now, the common suggestion is to keep a shoal of 6; doing so minimizes aggression, and they show social behaviors. However, it’s best to be cautious; in the case one of the puffers gets singled out and bullied by the rest of the group, a backup tank is helpful. Moreover, when keeping a group your tank should have places to break the line of sight to reduce territorial disputes. It is also essential to keep an even or favoring female gender ratio. Telling the sex of pea puffers is challenging since, when buying them, they are often too young to sex. You should be prepared with either a backup tank or discuss with the pet store, in the case you get all females or all males, in order to fix the ratio and avoid severe aggression.
Unique aspects of care for pea pufferfish:
- A unique aspect of pea puffers and closely related pufferfish is their dorsal crest, which can be seen as a dark line on the males. This dorsal crest can be raised as a sign of aggression.
- Because pufferfish can puff up, it is crucial to avoid taking them out of the water. They can swallow air instead of water, which can get stuck.
- Most pea puffers only eat live or frozen foods however, it is possible to convert them to pellets that mimic live or frozen foods.