Pea Puffer Tank Mates

Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 119 freshwater species that pair well with a pea puffer — plus the 104 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 7, 2026 • Full Pea Puffer care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a pea puffer

  • Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Assassin Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Cherry Shrimp ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Endler's Livebearer ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Gold Ring Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Neon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Trinidad Guppy ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Pygmy Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Glowlight Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Blue Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Emperor Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Flame Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Ghost Shrimp ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Phoenix Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Red Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Rosy Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Yellow Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Black Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Gold Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
With caution

Pea Puffer tank mates that can work with care

  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Banded Gourami ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Bandit Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Bearded Corydoras ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Black Darter Tetra ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Black Ruby Barb ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Pea Puffer and Black Ruby Barb can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.

+ 109 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a pea puffer

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (100 vs 2.5 cm): Fire Eel will treat Pea Puffer as food.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Pea Puffer and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Pea Puffer is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Pea Puffer and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.

+ 96 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a pea puffer

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a pea puffer, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Pea Puffer?

We compare each fish against your pea puffer on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • African Dwarf Frog✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Amapá Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Amapá Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Assassin Snail✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Blackwing Hatchetfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackwing Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blue Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blue Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cherry Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Cherry Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Clown Killifish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Clown Killifish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Crimson Red Betta✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Crystal Red Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Hard care · 20–24 °C (68–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Crystal Red Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Endler's Livebearer✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Endler's Livebearer in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Eyespot Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–25 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Eyespot Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Glowlight Danio in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Glowlight Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Gold Ring Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Gold Ring Danio in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Lambchop Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Lambchop Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Neon Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Neon Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Northern Glowlight Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Northern Glowlight Danio in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Pygmy Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.2 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Pygmy Corydoras in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Red Lip Nerite Snail✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Tail-spot Corydoras in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tailspotted Oto✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Tailspotted Oto in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tiger Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Hard care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Tiger Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Trinidad Guppy✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Celestial Pearl Danio⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celestial Pearl Danio — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Celestial Pearl Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Chili Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Chili Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Chili Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Dawn Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Dawn Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add dawn tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Dawn Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Dwarf Spotted Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Dwarf Spotted Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add dwarf spotted rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Dwarf Spotted Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Ember Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Ember Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Ember Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Emerald Dwarf Danio⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 20–24 °C (68–75 °F)
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Emerald Dwarf Danio at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Emerald Dwarf Danio in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Exclamation Point Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Exclamation Point Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add exclamation point rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Exclamation Point Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Green Neon Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Pea Puffer 5–15 vs Green Neon Tetra 0–4 dGH).
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Green Neon Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Green Neon Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Hummingbird Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 1.8 cm · Hard care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Hummingbird Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Hummingbird Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Neon Blue Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Medium care · 23–26 °C (73–79 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Neon Blue Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add neon blue rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Neon Blue Rasbora in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Neon Green Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Neon Green Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Neon Green Rasbora in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Nerite Snail⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Nerite Snail — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Ramshorn Snail⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Easy care · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Ramshorn Snail at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Ruby Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Ruby Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Ruby Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Scarlet Badis⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 2 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Scarlet Badis can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Strawberry Rasbora⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Expect Pea Puffer to harass Strawberry Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Strawberry Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Pea Puffer is bite-sized to a 250 cm predatory alligator gar — it will be eaten.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 2.5 cm Pea Puffer whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (100 vs 2.5 cm): Fire Eel will treat Pea Puffer as food.
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Pea Puffer is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Pea Puffer is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Pea Puffer is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Pea Puffer and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 2.5 cm Pea Puffer whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Pea Puffer and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 2.5 cm Pea Puffer whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.

Setting up a pea puffer community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.

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How to choose

How to choose the right tank mates for a pea puffer

Being semi-aggressive, pea puffer can nip or harass smaller, slower or long-finned fish — give it space, broken sight-lines and similarly robust companions. It ranges across the whole water column, so tank mates that keep to one level help reduce friction.

Pea Puffer grows to about 2.5 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 2 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 24–28 °C (75–82 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and 5–15 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Pea Puffer is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 3+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can a pea puffer live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 119 compatible freshwater species for pea puffer. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.

What is the best tank mate for a pea puffer?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Red Lip Nerite Snail, Assassin Snail, Cherry Shrimp. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a pea puffer?

Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do pea puffer tank mates need?

Start from Pea Puffer's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

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