They aren't actually born female, they are born without a fixed gender. Then the bigger, more territorial ones become males and the more subordinate because female
This is by far my favorite profile video of the Dwarf pea puffer. Packed with knowledge for somebody that is interested in getting into the pea puffers.
You probably won’t see this bc this is an old video but it’s new to me. I just found your channel a few days ago and I have been learning so much. Thank you so very much.
Absolutely fascinating. I didn't know that there were imitator species. I actually have a trio and I separated 2 males. Turns out 1 is actually the imitator! No wonder i wasn't getting mating behavior. This is fascinating. Thank you!
This is one of the best puffer informative videos I’ve seen. Thanks for making it so in depth. I have 2 in a 10 gal with a rubber lip pleco. They get along really well with it. I now understand why when I try and find a male at my LFS I am unable. They are juveniles that haven’t established being the dominant male yet. This is the first video that has explained this to me. Thanks Alex
So glad it was helpful. I know its painfully long, but I thought there was so much interesting stuff to cover. Thanks for tuning in and dropping a comment :)
Great info. I've got four pea puffers with 4 kuili loach, 2 platinum halfbeak, 1 bumblebee goby, 1 sparkling gourami. Cherry shrimp, and thai micro crabs. Every one gets along just the baby shrimp get eaten . They are in a 20 long heavily planted aquarium. I really enjoy your videos.
this is what I wondered if you threw all of the predators that have eaten other my other fish in the same tank together. I remove the predator fish once I figure out which one did it, and sometimes I wind up with multiple nano tanks all over the place
I have 6 pea puffers in a 20g tank with two Khuli loaches, a black Khuli loach, 6 pygmy Cory's, and a pleco. They all get along great. I used to have a colony of blue dream shrimp in that tank, but they started dying off, I'm assuming because the babies kept getting eaten and the adults got old. The puffers didn't bother the adult shrimp, at least not that I've ever seen.
Hey 😊 That’s was one of the best videos on them if not the best. I love the knowledge, history & science in there. I also learnt things I didn’t find in other videos & loved it was super detailed 🙏
This is the most informative video that I’ve ever seen on pea puffers. I fell in love with them for looks and purchased a few knowing nothing about them about a decade ago. I read up what I could find on them, learned by trial and err how to keep them alive, and just used what I thought I knew intuitively on my own. Thankfully, they survived everything that I threw at them. The trivia is not trivial - it’s priceless, and whatever the reason nature created species split and adapted so quickly might be the reason they survived my care. My only error was over feeding which isn’t a small thing, as you must already know yourself. I was always trying to keep ahead of the pure ghack messing up the tank, other species (even feeder goldfish I bought for them as a failed food once) couldn’t survive the mess. If it wasn’t for making the trial and err effort and overfeeding them I wouldn’t have noticed how much they could tolerate unless you were trying to kill them. They went from being in god knows what water to brackish slowly adding in more salt until it went completely salt. one I guesstimated how old they were and estimated their age. They had a cycled brackish tank upon arrival and a few ghost shrimp to eat and that was it. I couldn’t find any information on sexing them, now I know why. I only knew a handful of species that could switch, and only knew of one that could impregnate itself (on purpose) before switching back again which sounds like a great plot good enough for any science fiction fanatic’s deepest imagination. But they are stinkin’ adorable on top of it and they have personalities that boggle the mind you can almost picture them being wee aliens come to take over the human race for real. and willingly- like the cat scenario as it’s releasing a pacifist hormone so it can overcome it’s prey - yet we’re believing it, now it’s been proven. Or the example of the empathy birds which one will sacrifice itself for the well-being of the flock collectively, temporarily overriding it’s own survival instinct. I found out recently quite by accident on what we thought only happened in sea water observed in a local camping trip involving ‘sea lice’ - those guys have to go through two different forms of life species before they finally die, once as a parasite and another as a flea. Once it’s left it’s original host via feces; it attaches itself as a flea under the skin of mammal to survive and reach the end of it’s life and dies on land. With this information, I could picture them taking over the Earth instead of the cockroach. He Yay team Puffer!
Hey thanks for the awesome info :) also I'm so glad you enjoyed the episode. This is generally how I try and research all my non-livestream videos. Thanks for sharing and bring up fascinating talking points! Cheers and have a great week
6:30... I like your observations... this one may be different than the peas, which all hang together, and surf the bag surface... Pretty cool, man!... It has a different mentality..
Wow what an absolutely brilliant video, I’ve kept pea puffers (7) for 2 years now and I never new most of the things you talked about today. I keep many fresh water fish and have to say that the puffers are my favourite, they’re such a personable fish and full of character. Only just found your channel and love it, subscribed 🙂👍
Oh well thank you kindly. I try and do that with most my videos (dig a bit more, or explain some experiences, rather than just regurgitate info people could Google in 20 to 30 seconds. Welcome to the community as well! Make yourself at home, and also, check out the "best of" or other playlists for this "deep dive, fish nerd" type content. Best wishes to you and your fish. Cheers, Mark! -Alex
This video was so informative. You gave us all the information we needed plus more! Thanks. I was super interested in the "Divide" story. Did the OG doctor end up knowing he was correct? I know you said he got old and couldn't go into the field anymore, and another doc did and found the imitator species. Did the OG doctor find out his theory was correct?
Glad you enjoyed the topic as much as i did! Um the Dr. Passed away from what I gather, unfortunately. However this is a common occurrence in the fish world... for instance in 2023 alone bowfins were recognized as 2 seperate species. And lepomis sunfish genera was split into 4 more groups for over 6 types of sunfish...and thats just USA fish genetics and species!
Just ordered 3 pea puffers for 55 gallon tank with an abundance of bladder snails, hoping will curtell the load. Glad I found your video big help what to expect and in the care of them. Always thought they were so unique in their actions and love their eyes.
So I got it from aquatic arts...I LOVE them! They catch shrimp better than anything I've ever tried. They also keep small puffers safe when they're being moved from tank to tank. You can use the code HISTORYSECRET15 or HISTORYSECRET10 for the discount I get there too!
Very helpful!! I appreciate this info and the clear easy way that you speak. So easy to understand. I recently bought 2 very thin hungry baby dwarf puffers. Seeing them put some weight on is truly gratifying. I have them in with my Gambusia boy fishes. So far so good!! Lots of plants and frozen foods. So fun to watch their eyes!! Thanks for another wonderful video!! USA
Look at the fishroom😍WOW Alex❤️🙏🔥🙌 Puffers have to absolutely be, hands down one of the most interesting little fish ever!! I'm glad you did this one. I've really been considering trying some myself and I want to make sure I know enough about them! This is super interesting!! "Imitator species".. there's a new one 🤔and the way they can adapt that's really fascinating. 😁 Dwarf Puffers😍❤️🔥 Who couldn't love them?🤗💞 Thanks for a great video Alex!! I hope you have a wonderful day my friend!!🙏💞🌿🐟🌿💚
It's really long, I know, I know. But I did want to cover like pretty much everything I could think of that may be helpful or kind of interesting...and show them feeding etc. (Boy they're savage little buggers). Thanks for stopping by, Paige! Hugs 🤗 !
Great video, and I did not know about the gender bending traits! It is fascinating how the imitator species and travancoricus species look so similar! Thanks for sharing Alex
Great vid. I keep group of 3 with other fish as well. Mostly bigger fish, small triple red apisto colony and a couple female bettas. All get along from what I've seen.
What would be a good clean up crew to keep with these. I've read through the comments and found that some loaches might work... which kinds of loaches? Also would Siamese Algae Eater or Otocinclus Catfish be compatible?
Very happy that the UA-cam algorithm allowed me to see your channel, the pea puffer spotlight is so informative I haven’t found anything like it on UA-cam. Thanks my friend. this is the place to be.
I love you videos you always there a lot of information and the way you teach is great even new Keepers will understand I learned a lot more about puffers in this video keep up the good work
Thank you. That's almost always my goal with these videos, so I'm really delighted that it comes across as such. Thank you for your kind response By The Way
Ya love your fish room. Looks so nice. We need new merchandise, like lab coats to wear in our fish rooms to go with ower science projects in ower fish tanks. We could get pocket protectors for ower fish nets. I know im a fish neard. Lol.
@@Fishtory Super helpful. I have a question if that's ok. If they are all born females and I get three juveniles, does that mean one will surely become male eventually?
Thank you so much for the valuable information!! I am considering getting them when the weather gets warmer and this video is most interesting one to me.
Thank you... I try and do so on all the videos...but most people get bored and leave the video hehe. So it's just us hard-core fish lovers by the end ;)
Honestly whatever you want for a planted aquarium... aquasoils or sand are ideal...with some crushed coral or sea shells added for calcium (just a cup or 2 of it in the whole aquarium)
Lol, I also seem to be allergic to bloodworms. Nothing happens if I touch them with my hands, but if I forget to wash my hands and then accidentally touch my face, my eyes get itchy and red, quite an unpleasant sensation to be honest. I don’t have any other allergies that I know of. I wonder what triggers this allergy, quite strange. Awesome video, I learned quite a few new things about them. I currently own 15 puffers and I’m hoping to breed them in the near future.
I love the video! My P puffers are some of my favorite fish in my fish room! I recently just discovered that I have for where I previously thought I only had three!
@@Fishtory I originally had five, and thought that I had lost two of them. And last night while feeding them the person that physically observes my tanks for me found that there were actually four still in the aquarium. It was like Abe surprise birthday present!
Hello. Just found your channel, as I'm trying to learn about pea puffers. Can you please tell me, did you have them in a tank with a male or female betta? Thanks, Tamara.
Yes, and welcome! I has them with males mostly. Males under the age of 1 year old...and before they get super territorial. Females is a safer bet, in order to avoid fights or fin nips. In the end, every pea puffer and every betta will have a personality, and if you get a super mean or aggressive one, you need to keep your eye on the tank for 15 or 20 minutes during the first month or so. I always say "If fins get damaged, It's not worth the stress. Best of luck to you and I hope you have an awesome weekend! Cheers, Alex
Love all the facts you provide, especially touching base on the imitator. My lfs expert didn't know about these and after I'd told him about them he did research to find I was correct. I'll have to tell him about your video. The only tip, get yourself a tripod or stand. I got a bit motion-sick watching, lol, had to keep looking away and hated to take my eyes off these guys.
They're too little to sex, but by behavior it appears one male and 3 females. The suspected male isn't usually with the other 3. Sleeps in the higher ground (I didn't know this was a thing). It should be really fun, I haven't kept fish for a long while.
@@bertsbooks2505 yes I did one about a month or two ago, actually. But it was pretty short...as I haven't kept then before and I've only had them a short time, so I didn't have much first hand advice etc.
Do you think it would be safe for me to have A hook on the back filter With a sponge sleeve on the intake if i'm expecting baby puffer fry Or should I just stick with a sponge filter and leave it at that?
Does anyone know if you have a big enough tank could you keep puffers with kuhli loaches?? There’s so many mixed reviews and I’m doing so much research because I want pea puffers for my next tank
@@AzzaBro59 One year later and they seem to be coming down in price here now. I found some today for $119 on sale. I'm planning on trying to breed them and sell them for a more reasonable price, but just getting some here on the west coast is the biggest problem. I hate the way stuff here is so expensive compared with the rest of the world.
How old do they gotta be before they get a gender? Ive got 2, one is the size of my thumbnail and a little territorial, and the other one is half its size, literally pea or even a tad smaller size!! Poor guy gets chased around but he has plenty of hidey spots in my plants. Ive no idea how old they are, just the size. Nowhere near full grown, are they maybe still agender? Would be cool to end up with a male and female
They'll definitely nip at the guppy fins if they're fancy guppies...but if there's a large enough tank and enough plants, like you're saying...its probably possible..(just don't get mad at me if they do end up starting to kill guppies)
I CANT remember if left a comment already or not but thanks for the video I'm currently trying to get mine to breed...If you didn't already know I was gifted my Puffers from DIDI so these are very special to me and would love for them to breed so I can pass on the love ✌
Oh awesome, I definitely wish you the best! They can be hard to breed sometimes, but just keep trying with only them in a tank, and no other fish species, and eventually they should
Hey Alex, I'm curious, do Pea Puffers hunt when they aren't hungry? You mentioned them leaving snail carcasses in your tank, do you mean they will kill snails out of boredom or something, and only eat their favorite bits, or not eat any and just kill all the snails? Or do you think you can keep a breeding colony of shrimps or snails in a tank with a few predating puffers, assuming all are being fed a dedicated diet as well?
You know, I'm not sure if it's a common issue...but some males definitely seem to kill to show off for females...even if they don't eat the inside meat..I feel bad for the snails when they do that...but I think the "head" or "alpha" dominant male is the one in a group and the dominant female that seem to only do it as I watch for hours and hours lol.
I put my small colony of pea puffers in my 6' round pond with my oscar RTCs and turtle 😂🤣 don't worry they are doing fine with many floating plants and they are too small to get eaten, I am thinking of trying to breed some Ricefish in there as well lol. (The cats will be in a larger space before winter, they are like 6" rn)
I would think they would be eaten by the oscar and turtle if given a chance. Oscars enjoy eating feeder fish....similar to the size of a pea puffer. Be careful.
6.5-7pH and a sponge filter with a heater set to 78°F. Food types consists of bloodworms, pond/bladder snails, and brine shrimp. Tho the point about matching Indian waters; not really as recommended to chase a number when the majority are captive bred and never seen their "native" water. What's best in a consistent pH in the given range. Fluctuating parameters will stress all fish. Some more than others
Very interesting and glad you covered so much info. Those who want to learn would watch this even if it was an hour long lol. Hope you are well after the Covid vaccine.
So in my area I have a hard time finding live food other than baby brine. You said the puffers need diversity in food. They ignore the baby brine and mainly eat pond snails and microfauna. They ignore any frozen foods I have found. Any ideas?
Try blood worms from petsmart ... they are picky little jerks sometimes hehe. But honestly snails are better than just feeding blood worms...they actually can get a balanced meal from 2 different snail species also. Best of luck!
Oh boy... that's hard. I'd do sunfish...but that's because I've done pea puffers several times... and always have a badis or Two hiding in some tank. But I think pea puffers are most active and fun to watch... get like 3 or 5...just keep the water super clean
I have 3 pea puffers in a 25 hex tank with 10 Harlequin Rasboras, heavily planted. They have been in there for about three years and seem to be doing well. I am definitely going to try to get them to breed. Thank you for the info.
Thank god I found this video question man!!! So I have both species of puffers imitators and the basic dpp the imitators stay in a corner of the tank usually away from my pea puffers usually but so far the 2 imitators have been living with the 4 dpp for a month now they’re all still a few months old as I purchased them within same week one online other lfs
@@Fishtory you’re correct the online order was Pygmy Indian puffer thank you for the reply but should I be concerned with having them in same tank 30 gallon
My understanding is this small pea puffer does not have a beak or teeth, but uses suction to remove snails from the shell and also eats small blood worms and brine shrimp the same way. not until the larger Amazon, fahaka and figure 8 puffer do you start to see teeth and a beak.
Pea puffers don't have beaks but have super sharp angled teeth. They do use suction a ton also though. And mine always prefer meat...snails, bloodworms etc but do nibble on bits of algae (may it aids digestion like when cats eat grass)
I once added a pea puffer to an aquarium with a fist sized crawdad. The crawdad decided to leave the aquarium that very night, after happily sitting inside it for months.
Is there any particular fish that will clean up the snail remains, that can survive with Pea Puffers? I was thinking of some type of loach, and maybe some small Corydoras.
Yes some loaches will, some catfish will (both are medium sized species though, not really corydoras). But some goldfish and carp will it shells too...even my bristlnose plecos seem to eat them occasionally. As for reliably eating just snails- I honestly don't know (my only do it if you don't feed them a few days)
i recently put 2 puffers in a 20 long with 6 kuhli loaches heavily planted. one has started to become the alpha male bc he’s bigger but he dosent seem to attack the loaches or the other puffer he just chases them off and they’ll leave
Been thinking about getting some thank you for the informative video with all the info. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be ready to take this species on. Be encouraged,Your making a difference brother 🤘🏼 atleast for this guy in west TX with a passion for shrimp and fish. Would love a shrimp focused video again 😅
Thank you for saying so. That means a lot to me. Im so happy to know that your shrimp are doing well. It seems to take most hobbysts a few tries before sucess with a breeding colony or shrimp centered tank, so you must be a smart and skilled aquarist already!
I mean if you know what your are doing and have a good planted tank, I've seen them living in 5 gallons with 3 to 5 fish... but it's much easier and safer to use about a 10 gallon for that. Basically each puffer will want a 6 inches of nesting territory so figure each corner and one stressed one in the middle lol
@Fishtory lol good point. Big question... what the best fish to eat mts snails. But I need it to be happy in a 6-8 gal tank.. is this too small for dwarf chain loaches??
I have one of the imitators. I have 6 puffers all together . If I can get a secure link from you I'll send you good clear pics of both . I'd like to verify if it is for sure.
Feel free to post it to our Facebook community for the channel. We have some puffer enthusiasts on there that should know for sure, If I can't tell for sure. (Also Google male vs female pea puffer and you'll see the difference between females pea puffs and the imitators (imitators have no iridescent shimmer or blue tones anywhere, and also have no large spots or lines on their patterns...its all 1 mm or less dots with tiny tiny extra dots around those small/medium ones
Great video! I have tried to help people understand their selection of sex for years. Hell just trying to convince them they are fresh water! Mine rarely crack shells. They rely heavily on ambush slurping!
Yeah, I have people arguing with Mr over the fact that young fry could "change sex"...people don't realize that fish are very unique compared to human biology. So many different strategies
@@Fishtory people don't even want to acknowledge that humans are not (and have never been) limited to "two genders" From human chimeras to congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the average layperson doesn't understand the difference between sex organs, gender identity, chromosomal sex, hormonal sex, and sexual orientation. Throw in extra chromosomes, and genetics in isolated gene pools🤷♂️ It can be very difficult being human around human beings who are intolerant. Thanks for going down your rabbit holes. I'm autistic, and spend a lot of time in rabbit holes😁🤣
They aren't actually born female, they are born without a fixed gender. Then the bigger, more territorial ones become males and the more subordinate because female
You are correct thank you. Let me pin this comment. I appreciate it!
Thank you!
This is by far my favorite profile video of the Dwarf pea puffer. Packed with knowledge for somebody that is interested in getting into the pea puffers.
Yes! I loved this! Actually came back to like the video because I was driving while I listened.
I have 4 of these guys. Got them 2 weeks ago, babies. Had them in a 29-gallon, they hated it. Put them in a 10 for now, they are so happy. 🐡
You probably won’t see this bc this is an old video but it’s new to me. I just found your channel a few days ago and I have been learning so much. Thank you so very much.
Welcome to the channel Crystal! Thank you for tuning in. Im so glad you find these topics as interesting as i do, as well:) Have a great week
I love how when you get interested in a fish you go all out and deep into the research. Always on point, my friend.
👍💓👍
Thank you kindly!
Absolutely fascinating. I didn't know that there were imitator species. I actually have a trio and I separated 2 males. Turns out 1 is actually the imitator! No wonder i wasn't getting mating behavior. This is fascinating. Thank you!
Oh awesome that it helped you sort that out! Thanks for watching and commenting
"Puffy" was not the imposter
This is one of the best puffer informative videos I’ve seen.
Thanks for making it so in depth. I have 2 in a 10 gal with a rubber lip pleco. They get along really well with it. I now understand why when I try and find a male at my LFS I am unable. They are juveniles that haven’t established being the dominant male yet. This is the first video that has explained this to me.
Thanks Alex
So glad it was helpful. I know its painfully long, but I thought there was so much interesting stuff to cover. Thanks for tuning in and dropping a comment :)
Great info. I've got four pea puffers with 4 kuili loach, 2 platinum halfbeak, 1 bumblebee goby, 1 sparkling gourami. Cherry shrimp, and thai micro crabs. Every one gets along just the baby shrimp get eaten . They are in a 20 long heavily planted aquarium. I really enjoy your videos.
Ooo your tank sounds incredible! I'd love to see it, if you'd be willing to share some photos or video with the channel's Facebook group page! 😀
Sorry, I don't use Facebook.
this is what I wondered if you threw all of the predators that have eaten other my other fish in the same tank together. I remove the predator fish once I figure out which one did it, and sometimes I wind up with multiple nano tanks all over the place
I have 6 pea puffers in a 20g tank with two Khuli loaches, a black Khuli loach, 6 pygmy Cory's, and a pleco. They all get along great. I used to have a colony of blue dream shrimp in that tank, but they started dying off, I'm assuming because the babies kept getting eaten and the adults got old. The puffers didn't bother the adult shrimp, at least not that I've ever seen.
Hey 😊
That’s was one of the best videos on them if not the best. I love the knowledge, history & science in there. I also learnt things I didn’t find in other videos & loved it was super detailed 🙏
Well thank you kindly. Im glad you enjoyed it! Cheers
Thanks!
Thank you so kindly!
This is the most informative video that I’ve ever seen on pea puffers. I fell in love with them for looks and purchased a few knowing nothing about them about a decade ago. I read up what I could find on them, learned by trial and err how to keep them alive, and just used what I thought I knew intuitively on my own. Thankfully, they survived everything that I threw at them. The trivia is not trivial - it’s priceless, and whatever the reason nature created species split and adapted so quickly might be the reason they survived my care. My only error was over feeding which isn’t a small thing, as you must already know yourself. I was always trying to keep ahead of the pure ghack messing up the tank, other species (even feeder goldfish I bought for them as a failed food once) couldn’t survive the mess. If it wasn’t for making the trial and err effort and overfeeding them I wouldn’t have noticed how much they could tolerate unless you were trying to kill them. They went from being in god knows what water to brackish slowly adding in more salt until it went completely salt. one I guesstimated how old they were and estimated their age. They had a cycled brackish tank upon arrival and a few ghost shrimp to eat and that was it. I couldn’t find any information on sexing them, now I know why. I only knew a handful of species that could switch, and only knew of one that could impregnate itself (on purpose) before switching back again which sounds like a great plot good enough for any science fiction fanatic’s deepest imagination. But they are stinkin’ adorable on top of it and they have personalities that boggle the mind you can almost picture them being wee aliens come to take over the human race for real. and willingly- like the cat scenario as it’s releasing a pacifist hormone so it can overcome it’s prey - yet we’re believing it, now it’s been proven. Or the example of the empathy birds which one will sacrifice itself for the well-being of the flock collectively, temporarily overriding it’s own survival instinct. I found out recently quite by accident on what we thought only happened in sea water observed in a local camping trip involving ‘sea lice’ - those guys have to go through two different forms of life species before they finally die, once as a parasite and another as a flea. Once it’s left it’s original host via feces; it attaches itself as a flea under the skin of mammal to survive and reach the end of it’s life and dies on land.
With this information, I could picture them taking over the Earth instead of the cockroach. He Yay team Puffer!
Hey thanks for the awesome info :) also I'm so glad you enjoyed the episode. This is generally how I try and research all my non-livestream videos. Thanks for sharing and bring up fascinating talking points!
Cheers and have a great week
Salt? I thought they were in creeks and stuff in a foot of water with runoff?
Brother these shouldnt be in brackish water
Nice video man, must be the most in depth overview anyone has gone into these guys
That was the goal heh. Thank you
Best pea puffer video I've ever watched! Super informative, with unique facts. Thank you so much!
Happy to help. Thanks for tuning in! Have a great weekend
6:30... I like your observations... this one may be different than the peas, which all hang together, and surf the bag surface... Pretty cool, man!... It has a different mentality..
Ooo yeah...interesting
Wow what an absolutely brilliant video, I’ve kept pea puffers (7) for 2 years now and I never new most of the things you talked about today. I keep many fresh water fish and have to say that the puffers are my favourite, they’re such a personable fish and full of character. Only just found your channel and love it, subscribed 🙂👍
Oh well thank you kindly. I try and do that with most my videos (dig a bit more, or explain some experiences, rather than just regurgitate info people could Google in 20 to 30 seconds. Welcome to the community as well!
Make yourself at home, and also, check out the "best of" or other playlists for this "deep dive, fish nerd" type content. Best wishes to you and your fish. Cheers, Mark!
-Alex
@Mark Smith How mutch liters is your tank for 7 puffers?
I have a 55L aquarium. How mutch could I put in?
This video was so informative. You gave us all the information we needed plus more! Thanks. I was super interested in the "Divide" story. Did the OG doctor end up knowing he was correct? I know you said he got old and couldn't go into the field anymore, and another doc did and found the imitator species. Did the OG doctor find out his theory was correct?
Glad you enjoyed the topic as much as i did! Um the Dr. Passed away from what I gather, unfortunately. However this is a common occurrence in the fish world... for instance in 2023 alone bowfins were recognized as 2 seperate species. And lepomis sunfish genera was split into 4 more groups for over 6 types of sunfish...and thats just USA fish genetics and species!
Most informational video about dwarf pea puffers that I’ve found. TY so much!
No problem. I try and make all my videos fairly nerdy haha. Welcome
Just ordered 3 pea puffers for 55 gallon tank with an abundance of bladder snails, hoping will curtell the load. Glad I found your video big help what to expect and in the care of them. Always thought they were so unique in their actions and love their eyes.
Awesome... let the gladiator games begin!
Do you have a link fot the net that you showed with the vinyl bottom? I can't find one.
So I got it from aquatic arts...I LOVE them! They catch shrimp better than anything I've ever tried. They also keep small puffers safe when they're being moved from tank to tank.
You can use the code HISTORYSECRET15 or HISTORYSECRET10 for the discount I get there too!
Very helpful!! I appreciate this info and the clear easy way that you speak. So easy to understand. I recently bought 2 very thin hungry baby dwarf puffers. Seeing them put some weight on is truly gratifying. I have them in with my Gambusia boy fishes. So far so good!! Lots of plants and frozen foods. So fun to watch their eyes!! Thanks for another wonderful video!! USA
Love this video! Love all the information! Best pea puffer video I've found so far. Getting mine Sunday. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! I just find them amazing. Thanks for tuning in!
So,so interesting!!!
Thanks for Sharing! We just picked up 3 Dwarf Pea Puffer
Look at the fishroom😍WOW Alex❤️🙏🔥🙌
Puffers have to absolutely be,
hands down one of the most interesting little fish ever!! I'm glad you did this one. I've really been considering trying some myself and I want to make sure I know enough about them!
This is super interesting!!
"Imitator species".. there's a new one 🤔and the way they can adapt that's really fascinating. 😁
Dwarf Puffers😍❤️🔥 Who couldn't love them?🤗💞
Thanks for a great video Alex!! I hope you have a wonderful day my friend!!🙏💞🌿🐟🌿💚
It's really long, I know, I know. But I did want to cover like pretty much everything I could think of that may be helpful or kind of interesting...and show them feeding etc. (Boy they're savage little buggers). Thanks for stopping by, Paige! Hugs 🤗 !
@@Fishtory 🙏😁 to be so cute 😍 they are a little savages 😂🤣 thanks for sharing them Alex! HUGS🤗🙏
Great video, and I did not know about the gender bending traits! It is fascinating how the imitator species and travancoricus species look so similar! Thanks for sharing Alex
Yeah totally. I didn't know any of that prior to filming this and doing 5he research.
Great vid. I keep group of 3 with other fish as well. Mostly bigger fish, small triple red apisto colony and a couple female bettas. All get along from what I've seen.
Yeah that's a great choice of tankmates. Very well thought out, Erick!
This is very similar to what I want! Cichlids, pea puffers and bettas. How do they get a long now? Please respond. Thank you
Best video I've found on pea puffers,great job,very informative 🙂🙂
Glad you found it of use! Cheers
Great content! Thanks so much! How many can you keep in like a ten gallon?
Puffers are definitely like aqua dogs lol so full of character
No doubt about it
I think the fact that their eyes are able to rotate and focus independently, really helps make them seem intellectual and curious little fish
100% agreed
That was very helpful, thank you😊.
Glad it was helpful!
What would be a good clean up crew to keep with these. I've read through the comments and found that some loaches might work... which kinds of loaches? Also would Siamese Algae Eater or Otocinclus Catfish be compatible?
I am wondering the same thing....following.
Very happy that the UA-cam algorithm allowed me to see your channel, the pea puffer spotlight is so informative I haven’t found anything like it on UA-cam. Thanks my friend. this is the place to be.
Welcome to the community! Thanks for giving it a look and dropping a comment. I look forward to chatting more with you. Cheers!
I like these videos so much, I watch the ads. :)
Haha well thanks. I didn't think there were ads except between videos (1 ad) with the settings I have selected... grrr GRrrrrr....google
@@Fishtory Yeah, no worries. Worst thing, ya skip it. No biggie. And it's worth it for the info. XD
Great info! Keep it up!
Thank you! As long as folks like you enjoy it, I'll keep it coming
I love you videos you always there a lot of information and the way you teach is great even new Keepers will understand I learned a lot more about puffers in this video keep up the good work
Thank you. That's almost always my goal with these videos, so I'm really delighted that it comes across as such. Thank you for your kind response By The Way
Ya love your fish room. Looks so nice. We need new merchandise, like lab coats to wear in our fish rooms to go with ower science projects in ower fish tanks. We could get pocket protectors for ower fish nets. I know im a fish neard. Lol.
Hahah we totally do!
Great video! Slowly watching all your videos I’ve missed over the past few weeks. Glad your move went well!
I appreciate that, my friend! Thanks
Sometimes I use Aquarium coop fry feeder bottle to feed frozen foods if I want to thaw them out first
Ooo great idea! Thanks, Brice!
Super informative.
Glad it was helpful!
@@Fishtory Super helpful. I have a question if that's ok. If they are all born females and I get three juveniles, does that mean one will surely become male eventually?
@@Kay13Jay no, unfortunately not. It's not fully understood why they do it. Likely a diet or predation related impact
@@Fishtory Thank you again for your help. I'm enjoying the videos!
@@Fishtory Picked up a trio today. Thanks again for the help. Hopefully I get opposite sexes.
I'll be acquiring my own PP next week, they're so cute!
Thank you so much for the valuable information!! I am considering getting them when the weather gets warmer and this video is most interesting one to me.
Right on! They're so fun. I hope you have a great week. And i truly appreciate the support and kind words!
Thank you for this very informative video 🙂 glad you mentioned you have it and I actually found it😁
Oh right on! Have a great day
@@Fishtory thank u you too. Glad to see ur recovering well. Peace & Blessings
Such awesome info! Thank you!
Of course! Thanks for tunning in, and dropping your thoughts!
Awesome video. I've owned puffers for a while and still learned alot.
Glad to hear it. They're really a special species
I would love a link to your video with the puffer and betta. I want to try them together so badly and would love to see your experience. ❤
Cool history and info. 🙂👍
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I really like how in deep about the behavior your videos goes!
Thank you... I try and do so on all the videos...but most people get bored and leave the video hehe. So it's just us hard-core fish lovers by the end ;)
Love the puffers!
What kind of substrate do you use or recommend would be best for these pea puffers.
Honestly whatever you want for a planted aquarium... aquasoils or sand are ideal...with some crushed coral or sea shells added for calcium (just a cup or 2 of it in the whole aquarium)
@@Fishtory Thank you for your reply and helpful in depth videos!
Lol, I also seem to be allergic to bloodworms. Nothing happens if I touch them with my hands, but if I forget to wash my hands and then accidentally touch my face, my eyes get itchy and red, quite an unpleasant sensation to be honest. I don’t have any other allergies that I know of. I wonder what triggers this allergy, quite strange.
Awesome video, I learned quite a few new things about them. I currently own 15 puffers and I’m hoping to breed them in the near future.
I love the video! My P puffers are some of my favorite fish in my fish room! I recently just discovered that I have for where I previously thought I only had three!
Oh nice! Always a good thing when you have more fish than you remembered hehe.
@@Fishtory I originally had five, and thought that I had lost two of them. And last night while feeding them the person that physically observes my tanks for me found that there were actually four still in the aquarium. It was like Abe surprise birthday present!
@@theblindfishkeeper those are the best discoveries!
@@THandP_org they sure are!😉🤘🏻🐠🦯
Great video, Alex
Thank you Fish Pappy. I appreciate you coming by to comment and have a look. Cheers
How long do they go without food
Listening to this with headphones.. I had to go check if that was my aquaclear rattling like that. That lid is the bane of my existence some days.
Uhhgggg I know, right? I like aquaclear, but they gotta fix that lol
Hello. Just found your channel, as I'm trying to learn about pea puffers. Can you please tell me, did you have them in a tank with a male or female betta? Thanks, Tamara.
Yes, and welcome! I has them with males mostly. Males under the age of 1 year old...and before they get super territorial. Females is a safer bet, in order to avoid fights or fin nips. In the end, every pea puffer and every betta will have a personality, and if you get a super mean or aggressive one, you need to keep your eye on the tank for 15 or 20 minutes during the first month or so. I always say "If fins get damaged, It's not worth the stress.
Best of luck to you and I hope you have an awesome weekend!
Cheers, Alex
Best Pea Puffer Care Guide Evaaaaaaaaar!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome information.
So glad you found it as interesting as I do :)
Love all the facts you provide, especially touching base on the imitator. My lfs expert didn't know about these and after I'd told him about them he did research to find I was correct. I'll have to tell him about your video. The only tip, get yourself a tripod or stand. I got a bit motion-sick watching, lol, had to keep looking away and hated to take my eyes off these guys.
Yeah i have them and gimbals but battery was dead and tripod was in wifes car... most videos are much smoother lol
It was the most informative Pea Puffer video I have seen to date. Well done.
I just setup a planted tank with 4 pea puffers. Theyre so tiny and cute!
They're too little to sex, but by behavior it appears one male and 3 females. The suspected male isn't usually with the other 3. Sleeps in the higher ground (I didn't know this was a thing). It should be really fun, I haven't kept fish for a long while.
Super cute fish...really spunky and fun to watch
Never kept puffers, but the glimpse of the golden-eye cichlids pulled me in!
Haha. Whatever works
Have you ever done a piece on those? I get some bizarre behaviour out of them. It's sort of cyclic.
@@bertsbooks2505 yes I did one about a month or two ago, actually. But it was pretty short...as I haven't kept then before and I've only had them a short time, so I didn't have much first hand advice etc.
OK will have a look - mine have done OK so far, but a batch of fry seem to have been devoured!
Do you think it would be safe for me to have A hook on the back filter With a sponge sleeve on the intake if i'm expecting baby puffer fry Or should I just stick with a sponge filter and leave it at that?
Does anyone know if you have a big enough tank could you keep puffers with kuhli loaches?? There’s so many mixed reviews and I’m doing so much research because I want pea puffers for my next tank
What a lovely explanation of pea puffer, you are a "Aquaman", thanks Alex.
Hehe well thank you. I try
I was looking at pea puffers yesterday only $5.50 each
$220 Australian. So about $150 for you
$3.98 at my lfs. 😊
@@AzzaBro59 One year later and they seem to be coming down in price here now. I found some today for $119 on sale. I'm planning on trying to breed them and sell them for a more reasonable price, but just getting some here on the west coast is the biggest problem. I hate the way stuff here is so expensive compared with the rest of the world.
please tell me if they are a good solo fish in a 6 gallon
100%
No.
I can’t get enough of these cuties
They're pretty stinkin' cute 😍
Great video! Would keeping a tank of only female puffers be alright? Or does there need to be a male? Thanks for the info!
Yeah that's totally fine. Usually one will still become the leader AKA dominant almost like having a male Usually
@@Fishtory Awesome! Thank you so much! Really glad I found your channel!
How old do they gotta be before they get a gender? Ive got 2, one is the size of my thumbnail and a little territorial, and the other one is half its size, literally pea or even a tad smaller size!! Poor guy gets chased around but he has plenty of hidey spots in my plants.
Ive no idea how old they are, just the size. Nowhere near full grown, are they maybe still agender? Would be cool to end up with a male and female
Usually it happens within 2 weeks of hatching...but it can happen as late as adulthood from my understanding
Thoughts on keeping them in a heavily planted, heavily hard scaped, 50 gallon corner tank with guppy colony.
They'll definitely nip at the guppy fins if they're fancy guppies...but if there's a large enough tank and enough plants, like you're saying...its probably possible..(just don't get mad at me if they do end up starting to kill guppies)
@@Fishtory I’m hoping if I’d get enough puffers they will be busy enough with themselves to not bother the guppies.
I CANT remember if left a comment already or not but thanks for the video I'm currently trying to get mine to breed...If you didn't already know I was gifted my Puffers from DIDI so these are very special to me and would love for them to breed so I can pass on the love ✌
Oh awesome, I definitely wish you the best! They can be hard to breed sometimes, but just keep trying with only them in a tank, and no other fish species, and eventually they should
Would it work if I had 1 pea puffer in a 52 gallon community tank ?
He would live... but they're social fish. So really 3 minimum is my recommendation... add 3 to the community :)
Prayers lol he will either be lonely or can end up becoming the next Ted Bundy lol
Hey Alex, I'm curious, do Pea Puffers hunt when they aren't hungry? You mentioned them leaving snail carcasses in your tank, do you mean they will kill snails out of boredom or something, and only eat their favorite bits, or not eat any and just kill all the snails?
Or do you think you can keep a breeding colony of shrimps or snails in a tank with a few predating puffers, assuming all are being fed a dedicated diet as well?
You know, I'm not sure if it's a common issue...but some males definitely seem to kill to show off for females...even if they don't eat the inside meat..I feel bad for the snails when they do that...but I think the "head" or "alpha" dominant male is the one in a group and the dominant female that seem to only do it as I watch for hours and hours lol.
I put my small colony of pea puffers in my 6' round pond with my oscar RTCs and turtle 😂🤣 don't worry they are doing fine with many floating plants and they are too small to get eaten, I am thinking of trying to breed some Ricefish in there as well lol. (The cats will be in a larger space before winter, they are like 6" rn)
Whatever works!
I would think they would be eaten by the oscar and turtle if given a chance. Oscars enjoy eating feeder fish....similar to the size of a pea puffer. Be careful.
6.5-7pH and a sponge filter with a heater set to 78°F. Food types consists of bloodworms, pond/bladder snails, and brine shrimp.
Tho the point about matching Indian waters; not really as recommended to chase a number when the majority are captive bred and never seen their "native" water. What's best in a consistent pH in the given range. Fluctuating parameters will stress all fish. Some more than others
True enough for tank bred! We still see mostly wild caught here on the west coast for some reason
Very interesting and glad you covered so much info. Those who want to learn would watch this even if it was an hour long lol. Hope you are well after the Covid vaccine.
Yeah, I filmed this today and it's 36-40 hours after...so other than some joint pain and gland swelling, I'm totally fine 🙂
So in my area I have a hard time finding live food other than baby brine. You said the puffers need diversity in food. They ignore the baby brine and mainly eat pond snails and microfauna. They ignore any frozen foods I have found. Any ideas?
Try blood worms from petsmart ... they are picky little jerks sometimes hehe. But honestly snails are better than just feeding blood worms...they actually can get a balanced meal from 2 different snail species also. Best of luck!
Hello again... Did the tiny spotted puffer breed with the others?
Or did it turn out to be the imitator?
It did! But I screwed up and the fry didn't survive sadly
Thinking of poppin a puffer in with 2 common goldies
If theyre small enough goldies it may work....but id be cautious and watch closely... ideally id do a group of 5 or more puffs
I recently scored a 6.5 brand new for 20 bucks on marketplace. So torn. Pea puffer or badis or sunfish- I watched your badis video too. Idk what to do
Oh boy... that's hard. I'd do sunfish...but that's because I've done pea puffers several times... and always have a badis or Two hiding in some tank. But I think pea puffers are most active and fun to watch... get like 3 or 5...just keep the water super clean
@@Fishtory sunfish or pea puffers I may have to toss a coin. I can get puffers local but will have to order the sunfish. 😂
I have 3 pea puffers in a 25 hex tank with 10 Harlequin Rasboras, heavily planted. They have been in there for about three years and seem to be doing well. I am definitely going to try to get them to breed. Thank you for the info.
Best of luck to you!
Also, loved the video. Pea Puffers are awesome, and I'm about ready to try them again. Thanks for the species profile.
Of course! Thank YOU FOR WATCHING!
Thank god I found this video question man!!! So I have both species of puffers imitators and the basic dpp the imitators stay in a corner of the tank usually away from my pea puffers usually but so far the 2 imitators have been living with the 4 dpp for a month now they’re all still a few months old as I purchased them within same week one online other lfs
Oh interesting. We're they both sold as Dwarf pea puffers ? Or were some sold as the pygmy Indian puffer?
@@Fishtory you’re correct the online order was Pygmy Indian puffer thank you for the reply but should I be concerned with having them in same tank 30 gallon
I can listen to you forever!
Aww that's so kind of you to say. Thank you. I'll work on making more content, so you can do so haha. There are 700 archived videos now, as well.
You mentioning that was a borneo spesies of dwarf puffer
What the name of that spesies? I life in Indonesia but never heard that informasion.
Dichotomyctere sabahensis
Aka the sabah puffer or giant astatic puffer
@@Fishtory thanks for the info
Where can i buy true pea puffers?
My understanding is this small pea puffer does not have a beak or teeth, but uses suction to remove snails from the shell
and also eats small blood worms and brine shrimp the same way. not until the larger Amazon, fahaka and figure 8 puffer do you start to see teeth and a beak.
Pea puffers don't have beaks but have super sharp angled teeth. They do use suction a ton also though.
And mine always prefer meat...snails, bloodworms etc but do nibble on bits of algae (may it aids digestion like when cats eat grass)
I once added a pea puffer to an aquarium with a fist sized crawdad. The crawdad decided to leave the aquarium that very night, after happily sitting inside it for months.
Hahaha whoa
Would love more information on these fish
As alway, very interesting 😁
I try, I try. Thanks for tuning in, my friend 🙏
Is there any particular fish that will clean up the snail remains, that can survive with Pea Puffers? I was thinking of some type of loach, and maybe some small Corydoras.
Yes some loaches will, some catfish will (both are medium sized species though, not really corydoras). But some goldfish and carp will it shells too...even my bristlnose plecos seem to eat them occasionally.
As for reliably eating just snails- I honestly don't know (my only do it if you don't feed them a few days)
Sorry I'm not more help
i recently put 2 puffers in a 20 long with 6 kuhli loaches heavily planted. one has started to become the alpha male bc he’s bigger but he dosent seem to attack the loaches or the other puffer he just chases them off and they’ll leave
Yeah. They usually don't damage other fish. But they definitely like having 5+ individuals in a group, so do their most interesting behaviors.
my favorite fish atm i have a dozen in a 29 gallon
They're really fun...so animated and full of personality
Been thinking about getting some thank you for the informative video with all the info. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be ready to take this species on.
Be encouraged,Your making a difference brother 🤘🏼 atleast for this guy in west TX with a passion for shrimp and fish. Would love a shrimp focused video again 😅
Thank you for saying so. That means a lot to me. Im so happy to know that your shrimp are doing well. It seems to take most hobbysts a few tries before sucess with a breeding colony or shrimp centered tank, so you must be a smart and skilled aquarist already!
How many Pea Puffers would you recommend for a 10 gallon aquarium? I’ve kept a lot of fish over the years but haven’t gotten a lil puffer yet.
5 is a good number if it's a species only well planted tank
@@Fishtory sounds great.
I want about 10 in a species only tank! Where do you recommend purchasing them? I'm on the east coast
I've read that the imitator males also lack the iridescent wrinkles around their eyes, is this true?
Indeed
I was told you must keep them in brackish water, as they inhabit estuaries???
Whats the minimal tank size for 4-6 of these
I mean if you know what your are doing and have a good planted tank, I've seen them living in 5 gallons with 3 to 5 fish... but it's much easier and safer to use about a 10 gallon for that. Basically each puffer will want a 6 inches of nesting territory so figure each corner and one stressed one in the middle lol
@Fishtory lol good point. Big question... what the best fish to eat mts snails. But I need it to be happy in a 6-8 gal tank.. is this too small for dwarf chain loaches??
I have one of the imitators. I have 6 puffers all together . If I can get a secure link from you I'll send you good clear pics of both . I'd like to verify if it is for sure.
Feel free to post it to our Facebook community for the channel. We have some puffer enthusiasts on there that should know for sure, If I can't tell for sure. (Also Google male vs female pea puffer and you'll see the difference between females pea puffs and the imitators (imitators have no iridescent shimmer or blue tones anywhere, and also have no large spots or lines on their patterns...its all 1 mm or less dots with tiny tiny extra dots around those small/medium ones
Great video! I have tried to help people understand their selection of sex for years. Hell just trying to convince them they are fresh water! Mine rarely crack shells. They rely heavily on ambush slurping!
Yeah, I have people arguing with Mr over the fact that young fry could "change sex"...people don't realize that fish are very unique compared to human biology. So many different strategies
@@Fishtory people don't even want to acknowledge that humans are not (and have never been) limited to "two genders"
From human chimeras to congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the average layperson doesn't understand the difference between sex organs, gender identity, chromosomal sex, hormonal sex, and sexual orientation.
Throw in extra chromosomes, and genetics in isolated gene pools🤷♂️
It can be very difficult being human around human beings who are intolerant.
Thanks for going down your rabbit holes. I'm autistic, and spend a lot of time in rabbit holes😁🤣