Malabar Dwarf Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus)
Description
The Malabar Dwarf Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) is a small and fascinating species of freshwater pufferfish that originates from the rivers and streams of the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. Known for its vibrant green coloration and unique behavior, this puffer is one of the smallest species of pufferfish, making it a popular choice for aquarium enthusiasts. With its curious nature, round body, and the ability to puff up when threatened, the Malabar Dwarf Puffer is a captivating addition to any aquascape.
Key Features
- Scientific Name: Carinotetraodon travancoricus
- Common Name: Malabar Dwarf Puffer
- Size: Up to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
- Temperament: Semi-aggressive, territorial towards other puffers or similar-sized fish
- Lifespan: 4-5 years with proper care
- Diet: Carnivorous – primarily eats live or frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworms, brine shrimp, snails, and small crustaceans.
- Appearance: Greenish-yellow body with darker spots and markings. Its small, compact size and round shape make it highly distinctive.
- Tank Level: Bottom and midwater dweller
Tank Requirements
- Tank Size: Minimum 10 gallons for a single individual or a small group
- Water Temperature: 75°F to 80°F (24°C to 27°C)
- pH Range: 7.0 to 7.5
- Water Hardness: 5-12 dGH
- Substrate: Soft sand or fine gravel is ideal, as it allows for easy movement and hunting of small invertebrates.
- Tank Setup: A heavily planted aquarium with lots of hiding spots, caves, and driftwood. Malabar Dwarf Puffers enjoy environments where they can explore and find hiding spots.
Care Tips
- Malabar Dwarf Puffers are relatively hardy but require pristine water conditions and good filtration. Regular water changes are essential to maintain optimal water quality.
- These puffers can be territorial, especially with other fish of similar size. It’s best to house them alone or with non-aggressive tank mates of a size they cannot consider prey.
- They are highly carnivorous and may hunt snails in the tank. If no natural prey is available, be sure to provide them with live or frozen foods.
- Their small size means they can be prone to bullying from larger or more active species, so they should only be kept with peaceful, non-aggressive tank mates.
Compatibility
While the Malabar Dwarf Puffer can be kept in community tanks, it’s important to select tank mates carefully. They do best with:
- Peaceful, small fish (e.g., Rasboras, Tetras)
- Invertebrates (e.g., Shrimp, Snails)
- Avoid keeping them with larger fish, aggressive species, or other puffers.
- Avoid keeping with fin-nipping or overly active species that might stress them out.
Why Choose Malabar Dwarf Puffers?
The Malabar Dwarf Puffer is a stunning and interactive species that offers both beauty and behavior to your aquarium. Its compact size, unique appearance, and curious nature make it a favorite among experienced aquarists. Though they require a bit more attention in terms of diet and tankmates, their playful antics and distinctive puffing behavior are well worth the effort.
Despite their small size, they can be quite aggressive to even fish larger than them. They can get territorial so it is best to keep them with larger peaceful and hardy fish.
**SOLD INDIVIDUALLY; 1 PEA PUFFER PER ORDER**
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Malabar dwarf puffers
Got my fish on time and they’re doing great. Very happy with my purchase!!
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Malabar Pea Puffers
I think these are probably the cutest things I've seen in a long time. They did come a lot smaller than I expected. They are tiny!!! Fortunately I started a mosquitoe larvae bucket. I think that saved me as far a feeding them. They do hunt them down and eat them. I don't do worms!
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Great Puffers!
I received these 3 puffers this week. All were alive and active upon delivery. They have been in the tank for 2 days now and are coloring up and curious. They are pretty small, but eating well and should grow pretty quickly!
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excellent!
thank you!
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Dwarf puffer delivery
Very nice fish, much smaller than i thought they would be. 2 out of 3 were alive upon shipment
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Dwarf pea puffers
I received my adorable dwarf pea puffers on Tuesday. They are tiny with beautiful eyes. I have a lot of Christmas moss in the tank so it's like looking for a needle in the haystack. I am feeding them small white worms daphnia and microworms. I also have tiny snails in their tank. I have yet to see them eat the snails. All 3 appear healthy and happy. Shipping water was rather cold. Drip acclimated
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Healthy Puffers!
I'm very happy to say that these puffers are fat and inquisitive, and have happily adjusted to their 36 gallon tank. I had a negative experience ordering pea puffers online from a different online store several weeks ago and the puffers I received at that time were emaciated and ill when they arrived. Only one out of those five survived. I was pretty reticent to try purchasing pea puffers online again, but I'm glad I did. All nine that I purchased from petzone survived and are currently thriving!
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Love these little guys
So happy with this order. They arrived in less than 24 hours and happy and alive. So cute.
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Dwarf Puffers
My order arrived early Tuesday when I was working so my mom was the one to acclimate and put them in my big tank. These puffers are the cutest! Although I did not expect them to be very tiny, so I put them in my big tank and my Dwarf Gourami and Betta were chasing them. Luckily, they are healthy and are fast swimmers, they were able to avoid those hungry mouths and hid in the plants. Now, they are happy in my shrimp tank with lots of baby snails to eat! It’s a feast for them! Thank you, PetZone! :)
