Can pea puffers live with clown loaches?

Verdict

Yes, with care

Yes, with care. Pea puffers and clown loaches can share a tank, but watch one thing. At 8 inches a clown loach can swallow a small pea puffer. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.

Pea puffer74–82°F · pH 7–8

Clown loach77–86°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Watch outAt 8 inches a clown loach can swallow a small pea puffer. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
Watch outPea puffers are aggressive, though clown loaches are big enough to shrug most of it off.
Watch outClown loaches grow to 8 inches and need 75 gallons, far more than a tank set up for pea puffers.

What works

Both are fine at 77–82°F.
pH 7–7.5 suits both.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Pea puffer	Clown loach
Temperature	74–82 °F	77–86 °F
pH	7–8	6–7.5
Adult size	1.0 in	8.0 in
Minimum tank	5 gal	75 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	All levels	Bottom
Group	Alone or in pairs	Groups of 5+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for pea puffers

CrayfishYes

All pea puffer tank mates

Better tank mates for clown loaches

All clown loach tank mates

Questions

Can pea puffers live with clown loaches?

Yes, with care. Pea puffers and clown loaches can share a tank, but watch one thing. At 8 inches a clown loach can swallow a small pea puffer. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.

What temperature suits both pea puffers and clown loaches?

77–82 °F. Pea puffers need 74–82 °F, clown loaches need 77–86 °F.

What size tank do pea puffers and clown loaches need together?

At least 75 gal, set by the clown loach. Add space for each extra fish.