Pufferfish mob in Minecraft
The Pufferfish is a small tropical fish that inflates into a spiky ball when you come close, and poisons anyone who touches it. It never chases you, but bumping into one hurts. Once caught, it is the ingredient of the Potion of Water Breathing and the bait that tames a Nautilus.
- Health
- 31.5 hearts
- Behavior
- Neutral
- Main drop
Pufferfish- Found in
- Warm Ocean+2 more
Pufferfish stats
- Health
- 3 1.5 hearts
- Behavior
- Neutral
- Main drop
- Pufferfish
- Spawns in
- 3 biomes
- Size
- 0.7 × 0.7 blocks
- XP when killed
- 1 to 3
- Detection range
- 16 blocks
// Experience drops only when a player kills it.
How much damage Pufferfish deals
Damage to a player without armor, by world difficulty. 1 ♥ = 2 damage points.
Depends on how puffed up it is.
Poison: duration depends on the local difficulty// Armor, Protection and Resistance reduce these values. Base values read from the game code (26.3).
Where to find Pufferfish
Biomes where it spawns naturally, with its share of the spawns in each group.
- Group size
- 1 to 3
Pufferfish drops
Pufferfish and its family
Mobs built on the same base in the game code, compared on their game values.
| Mob | Health | Attack | XP | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cod | 3 | — | 1–3 | — |
 Pufferfish | 3 | 1 | 1–3 | — |
 Salmon | 3 | — | 1–3 | — |
 Tropical Fish | 3 | — | 1–3 | — |
Traits
Properties set in the game files.
Effects
What you can do with Pufferfish
Items to use on it and what happens.
CatchWater BucketUse a Water Bucket on it to carry it alive in a bucket. Gear and tools
Items it can wear, and items you use on it.
Command
/summon minecraft:pufferfish ~ ~ ~Where Pufferfish live
Pufferfish swim in warm and lukewarm oceans, often among coral and seagrass. They move alone or in small numbers and look harmless while deflated.
Why a Pufferfish puffs up
When a player or most land mobs come near, the Pufferfish inflates in two steps until it becomes a round, spiky ball. Once puffed, it poisons anything that touches it. It deflates slowly once you move away. Other sea creatures, such as fish, squid, dolphins and turtles, do not scare it, so it stays calm around them.
It counts as neutral because it never hunts you: the danger only comes from contact. Swim around it, or kill it with a single hit before it puffs up. If you get poisoned, a Milk Bucket clears the effect.
Don't eat it (unless you must)
The Pufferfish item can be eaten, but it gives you Hunger, Nausea and Poison at once. Treat it as an ingredient, not as food.
What Pufferfish are for
- Brewing: add a Pufferfish to an Awkward Potion to get a Potion of Water Breathing, the best way to explore Ocean Monuments and shipwrecks.
- Taming a Nautilus: Pufferfish, raw or in a bucket, are the items that tame it.
- Traps: catch one in a Bucket of Pufferfish and release it in a moat or a narrow water corridor. It puffs up at anything that comes near.
- Trading: master Fisherman villagers buy Pufferfish, and the Wandering Trader sometimes sells them in buckets.
You can also fish them up with a fishing rod anywhere, far from any warm sea.
✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026
Pufferfish — FAQ
Is it safe to eat a Pufferfish?
Not really. Eating one gives you Poison, Hunger and Nausea at the same time. A Milk Bucket clears all three.
How do you stop a Pufferfish from poisoning you?
Keep your distance until it deflates, or kill it with one hit before it puffs up. It does not chase you.
What potion do you make with a Pufferfish?
The Potion of Water Breathing, brewed by adding a Pufferfish to an Awkward Potion.
Where does the Pufferfish spawn?
In Warm Ocean, Deep Lukewarm Ocean and Lukewarm Ocean.
What does a Pufferfish drop?
Pufferfish and Bone Meal.
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