One Pea Puffer in a Five Gallon Debate

[YeePuffer]

I have been keeping a single pea puffer in my five gallon for the past few months, and as I continue to learn more talking to other fish keepers, it seems like there’s a lot of controversy about the setup. Originally the five gallon seemed like a good choice because of several YouTubers experienced in the hobby suggested it in a five gallon & with one fish there’s no aggression issues and a lot less that could go wrong, but other hobbyist have pointed out that they are a shoaling in fish the wild.

So, I’m curious where you guys stand on the issue. 

[bettatester]

I am no expert on peas, but I have done a bit of research having kept one and wanting to keep more in the future. I have kept a single pea before in that size tank, and she seemed to do ok on her own. I did eventually put some pigmy corys in there that she did not bother. She seemed to do better with the corys because she was interested in them. She spent more time moving around and exploring when I had other fish in the tank. I think she just got really bored otherwise. I have ultimately heard both that they hate each other and at best tolerate each other and that they need each other in a shoal. However, my experience was that mine did better with other fish simply because she had more to do. So I lean more toward their being shoaling. That being said, I think some of that depends on the individual fish. I definitely would not keep more than one in a five, and if that is your only option, they will likely do well enough. I think of it like bettas. Again, not an expert, but have kept them for several years. I think they in general do better in community tanks with other fish. They are always far more active and vibrant in my opinion. However, some are just simply too aggressive to be put with other living creatures. Ultimately, it is always a gamble with more aggressive leaning fish; however, done right and if everyone behaves themselves, it seems to me better if they can be kept with others (whether the same species or other species. 

[Colu]

I would keep a group of six pea puffer in a heavily planted 20gallon with lots of hiding places and plenty of cover  long term 

[BIG GREEN]

I have 3 in a heavy planted 10 gallon. Started out with 2 but found one at  LFS  by himself so I picked him/her up( flt bad for the little joker) They are doing great as of right now....

[Jennifer V]

@YeePuffer I agree with @bettatester. I've only had my puffs for four months, but in that time I've observed that they are very curious little guys. They need stimulation so having one alone in a 5 g might not be providing him or her with what they need. I wouldn't put more than one in a 5 g because it's just not enough space and they're messy little guys so tank maintenance would be very difficult but maybe another type of fish? Or upgrade to a larger tank and add a couple more? I have four in my heavily planted 10 g and they seem delighted to be alive. 

[aquachris]

I’ve had them in both as a single and as a group. I find they do much better as a group of 6 in a 20g long with a lot of plants. 

[RogueAquarium]

I had a pea puffer problem, and in the process of solving it met a pea puffer fanatic. She keeps 6 different tanks for JUST pea puffers, it was cool. She said in her EXP all puffers are different. She said she has some that do GREAT as a single in a 5-6 gal, but she has some that just get lonely and don't do well. Part of how we finally fixed my poor little male not eating is by buying a female to put in with him. He watched her eat, and that seemed to trigger a competitive drive in him that was not there before, so in his case I think it's best to move him over to a 10 and grab 1 more female.

Something I learned though is it seems to depend on how the fish interacts with YOU. The ones that seem to do well by themselves (all of hers anyways) were the most interactive with her. They can see a LONG way outside of the tank, so it makes sense that they would count that as interaction and fulfillment, but if it's too timid or scared to interact with you then it would not and just count that as a vague threatening presence. IDK, just trying to get inside the fish brain I guess.

[eatyourpeas]

I have had a pea puffer in a 3 gallon long for close to a year, and another one in a 7 gallon. They have shrimp and snails in the tank, eating the snails but leaving the shrimp alone. Both heavily planted tanks and I rearrange things every now and then. I do 50% WC twice a week on the 3 gallon, once a week on the 7 gallon, both with canister filters. They are both lots of fun and playful, extremely curious and always greet me in the morning. Love those little bits to pieces! 🙃