Pygmy Dwarf Freshwater Puffer Fish Carinotetraodon Travancoricus 1cm

Overview

The Dwarf or Pea Puffer is the smallest puffer in the hobby, a rounded yellow-green fish with dark blotches, independently swivelling eyes and a hovering, helicopter-like swimming style. Endemic to the rivers and backwaters of Kerala in south-west India, it is a fully freshwater species and never needs salt. It suits keepers of a small planted species tank who can supply snails and frozen food.

• Adult Size: Around 2.5–3 cm (1 in)
• Lifespan: 4–5 years

Origin

• Native to: Kerala, south-west India
• Habitat: Sluggish, heavily vegetated rivers, backwaters and lakes with little flow

Feeding

• Diet: Carnivorous; micro-predator of snails and invertebrates
• Preferred Foods: Small snails, bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, frozen cyclops
• Feeding Habits: Small feeds daily; rarely accepts dried food; snails weekly

Tank Mates

• Best with: Own kind at one per 10 litres; otocinclus, amano shrimp, kuhli loaches
• Avoid: Slow or long-finned fish, small shrimp, guppies, snails you value

Aggression & Behaviour

• Temperament: Feisty fin nipper
• Territoriality: Males territorial; dense planting and sight breaks spread aggression

Experience Level

• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Challenges: Needs live or frozen food; heavy planting; often wild-caught and thin

Water Parameters

• Water Type: Freshwater, moderately hard
• Temperature: 22–28°C (72–82°F)
• pH: 6.8–8.0
• Hardness: 5–25 dGH
• Flow: Slow
• Tank Size: Minimum 40 litres for a small group; densely planted with sight breaks

Final Notes

Tiny but demanding, these puffers need a mature, densely planted tank and a steady supply of small pond or ramshorn snails to wear down their beaks. Keep a single male with several females, as males show a dark belly stripe and wrinkle lines behind the eye and will fight. They have been bred in aquaria among fine-leaved plants. Sensitive to copper medications and best quarantined on arrival. Settled, they are curious, expressive little fish.