Valentini puffer info please

[Booboobear259]

I want to know everything I need to know about a Valentini pufferfish before I order one can you guys help me out here

[NiTr0x911]

I've had one in my 180 Gallon for about 3 months. I'll give you my experience. Tough fish. Eats like a pig. And being one of the smallest fish I have in the 180,he refuses to be bullied. I have a 8" Blue Face and a Aussie Tusk that was harassing him constantly when I first added him. He wouldn't back down. Only other thing I can add, He eats any kind of food I've offered and is very curious always cruising the tank. I'm glad I bought mine. Good Luck

[FF184]

I love mine, he is very peaceful and the other fish don't bother him. He swims side by side with my Niger Trigger sometimes like they are best friends, but most of the time he just hangs out by himself and wanders all over the tank. Sometimes in the top corner, sometimes hiding in the rock, sometimes near the bottom.

He eats well, and mine loves to find bristle starfish to munch on.

[Booboobear259]

Thanks guys can they live with a Flame angel

[mitchrapp]

What kind of cleanup crew would be compatible with it? I would really like to get one of these but am concerned that it would eat all the shrimp and snails. Anyone have one of these with a watchman goby/pistol shrimp combo?

[ichthyogeek]

I have one in a 29 gallon. It eats any and all crabs, and most snails. I've got one in with damselfish at the moment, and everybody's kind of happy. Will eat feather dusters. Will eat brittle stars. Will also eat large shrimp, squid, blackworms, and mysis. Kind of eats algae, but not really....

If you get one, get a large protein skimmer. I've got a Coralife 65 super skimmer, and it barely keeps up with the puffer.

[FishInABarrel]

My valentinis will destroy any shrimp they can catch. My large one also ate a brain coral but that was the only coral that he bothered. I also have a blue spotted puffer, which seems more agressive than the valentini and has a taste for hard corals. Just remember to feed them table shrimp with the shell or something else hard every now and then. It helps keeps their teeth from over growing.

[mitchrapp]

So what kind of CUC do you use? Our do you just skip the CUC and depend more heavily on the skimmer?

[ichthyogeek]

I'll chuck in a few hermit crabs for entertainment every once in a while, and any that survive, clean while they can. I'm relying on skimming, a filter sock, live rock, and macroalgae filtration to get the job done, as well as water changes.

[mitchrapp]

Thanks. Sounds like a good idea.

[Scubaken]

My Valentini was a great little guy, we used to call him wheezy, as he seemed to swim his guts out, agree with everyone else, would eat anything and everything, particularly liked blue legged hermits and snails (regardless off their size). Used to get into big fights with my emporer angel at the drop of a hat and wasn't intimidated by anything or anyone.
Came down one day and he was floating, don't know what happened to him, I had him for about a year, and he seemed very happy and very "fat"

Something's just are not meant to be I suppose