Pea Puffer set up help

Hi everyone,
I have a 5 gallon tank, and I think I would like to turn it into a pea puffer tank but I'm not sure yet. The tank is the Aqueon Minibow 5 gallon kit, and I am going to use the filter that it comes with. Before I make my decision, what is involved in keeping a pea puffer? I have read the sticky thread on keeping puffers but I wanted to ask more specifically about pea puffers. I am planning on doing a fish in cycle, keeping the tank at 78 degrees and establishing a colony of bladder or ramshorn snails in the tank before getting the puffer. I am going to do probably ~60-75% water changes weekly, because I know they're messy eaters. I am planning on feeding the puffer twice a day. I am going to ask in the store what they feed, and try to get mine on a diet of mainly freeze dried food (bloodworms, daphnia and mysis).
Can I use gravel in the tank? Can I use silk plants/fake plants? What am I missing? Are they hard to care for? Please share any information that you can! Thanks!

 

I can't give much help on the actual pea puffers but I have looked into live food options. You could consider setting up a live vinegar eel colony to feed you pea puffers along with your frozen foods. They are fairly easy to keep, unlike brine shrimp.

 

I can't give much help on the actual pea puffers but I have looked into live food options. You could consider setting up a live vinegar eel colony to feed you pea puffers along with your frozen foods. They are fairly easy to keep, unlike brine shrimp.

I will look into how to do that, thanks for the suggestion.

 

Hi I noticed you mention you were going to try the freeze dried food. Pea puffers are very food picky and will most likely not go for these. I suggest feeding them live snails or frozen foods instead of freeze dried.

 

My only advice to add to the rest of the good advice so far, is plants, more plants and then just a few more plants.