Can Pea Puffers Live With African Dwarf Frogs?

Last Updated on February 8, 2022 by cmoarz

Can pea puffers live with African dwarf frogs? This is a pretty common question and I don’t see many good explanations as to why it’s not a good idea.

So this article will attempt to dive down into the real issues with pea puffers living in ADF tanks.

Why is it a bad idea to keep pea puffers with African dwarf frogs?

A lot of people would assume the frog would try to eat the fish, But in fact, it’s the other way around!

Pea puffers are notorious for killing and eating fish that are smaller than them. If there is a pea puffer in your tank, anything small enough to fit in its mouth will be at risk of being devoured by the puffer.

You might say “well my frog isn’t small enough to fit in the puffer’s mouth” and you would be right, But here’s the thing:

Pea puffers don’t care.

They will attempt to remove chunks from the frog as well as aggressively pick on the frog.

African dwarf frogs have no way to defend themselves against the pea puffers’ aggressive bullying.

They spend a majority of their time staying still, and the only defense they actually have is to try and hide away from the puffer.

So with that said, Keeping pea puffers with African dwarf frogs is a bad idea. The puffers will bully the frogs to death and the frogs have no way to defend themselves.

While it would be really cool to someday figure out how to get these 2 species to live in harmony together, It’s just not possible right now.

Why do pea puffers bully frogs and fish?

Pea puffers are notoriously territorial and aggressive. They have a hardwired instinct to hunt and attack anything that moves, especially when they are in their territory.

Pea puffers were bred from fish that were captured in the wild. This means the ancestors of your fish spent their lives defending themselves from threats in nature.

Anything smaller than them is a potential meal, and anything bigger than them is a potential threat that they will attempt to remove from their territory.

The bottom line is there are better tank mates for your ADF. Fish that won’t mind living with your frogs and will be far more social and none aggressive.