What is Pufferfish in Minecraft?
Pufferfish are a food item you can catch while fishing in Minecraft. Unlike regular fish, eating a raw pufferfish gives you harmful effects: Nausea II, Hunger III, and Poison IV. That said, they’re useful for brewing the Potion of Water Breathing.
Where to Find Pufferfish
Creative Mode
In Creative Mode, you’ll find pufferfish in the Food & Drinks menu (Java Edition 1.19.3+) or Foodstuffs menu (older versions). You can also search for “pufferfish” in the creative inventory.
How to Catch Pufferfish in Survival Mode
The only way to get pufferfish in Survival is by fishing. You need a fishing rod. If you have an enchanted fishing rod with Lure III and Luck of the Sea III, you’ll catch rare fish more often.
Step 1: Find Water
Go to any large body of water. Ocean biomes work best, but rivers and lakes work too.
Step 2: Hold Your Fishing Rod
Select the fishing rod from your inventory or hotbar.
Step 3: Cast Your Line
Cast into the water:
- Java Edition (PC/Mac): Right-click
- Pocket Edition: Tap the Fish button
- Xbox 360 / Xbox One: Press LT
- PS3 / PS4: Press L2
- Nintendo Switch: Press ZL
- Windows 10 Edition: Right-click
Step 4: Watch for Bubbles
Wait until you see bubbles coming toward your bobber. When the bobber dunks underwater, it’s time to reel.
Step 5: Reel In
Use the same button to reel in the fish. You have a short window, so be quick. If you’re fast enough, you’ll catch the pufferfish.
Pufferfish ID and Command
Java Edition 1.13+
The give command is:
/give @p pufferfish 1
Java Edition 1.8-1.12
Use the old ID:
/give @p fish 1 3
What to Use Pufferfish For
The main use is brewing. You’ll need pufferfish to make a Potion of Water Breathing. You can also feed it to a cat to give them the harmful effects, but that’s not really useful.
Similar Items
Other fish you can catch include Raw Cod, Raw Salmon, and Tropical Fish. Each has different uses and effects.