Valentini/Saddleback puffer

[nolan71416]

So we picked up one of those cool puffers last weekend and I had a few question for anyone who has had them. I understand they need a meaty diet and some clams or other foods with shells for there teeth. My main question is how often do you give them hard shell foods? Since he's the only puffer I have and is so small I wasn't sure how often he needs those foods. As of now he eats like a pig on pellets and frozen mysis shrimp. I have some frozen raw shrimp I feed my anemone that he loves also. Just looking for some extra advice from people who has had them before.


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[jennm]

They are easier to maintain than the larger puffers like Dogfaces and Porcupines.

If there are hermit crab shells or dead snail shells they'll chomp on them, or on the rocks if they need to (and on coral skeletons occasionally.)

I wouldn't put one in a reef but they are less destructive than the larger puffers.

Small shrimp and fanworms are on the menu too...

Jenn

 

[hzheng33]

I have one in my reef right now for almost 1 yr. Doesn't bother anything in there. I have not fed it clams per se, no issue on its tooth.

 

[nolan71416]

Cool. He will be going in my reef and I have 1 peppermint shrimp and hopefully they will get along, if not the puffer will get a good meal. My shrimp is a little mean so I think he will stand his ground pretty well. I really wanted a porcupine puffer but the LFS said this one is the best for a reef tank bc they don't normally eat corals. He did say shrimp, crabs and snails r at risk with the valentini but honestly I don't care if the snails get eaten. Currently they just knock my corals off the rocks to piss me off I think. I got him, a yellow and a blue tang in QT right now and he gets along with those fish very good.


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[jennm]

You received good advice there.

Porcupines will destroy a reef. I kept a large one and a Dogface together in a soft coral tank and they didn't do any damage to them (softies are rather toxic to many fishes), but I never put hard corals of any kind in with them. Those were big (softball sized) and we fed them clams on the half-shell and they'd suck the flesh off the shell and then come back and chew up the shells. MESSY. It was a bare bottomed tank so we were always having to vacuum all the bits of shell up.

Jenn

 

[nolan71416]

How often did you feed them the clams? I feed my fish Every other day frozen mysis shrimp and a few pellets the other days. I also place a small piece of shrimp with the shell for the puffer twice a week for an hour or so and let him eat it. The tangs try to steal it but he blocks them. He's half the size of the yellow and 1/4 of the blue but he loves his shrimp.


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[nolan71416]

Hzheng ok thanks for the info.


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[jennm]

We gave them clams once a week or so. Keep in mind these were larger than average specimens, they'd been in a 220g tank (and one is still living large in a 180 today, he's been in captivity over 10 years now). We usually did it the day before or the day we did a water change so we could vacuum out the mess afterwards.

 

[nolan71416]

Ok gotcha. Mine is very small

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[ricky5415]

Cute fish

 

[nolan71416]

Thanks and the tang is doing great. Everyone seems to be getting along just fine. Now I just need to find a 6'+ tank to upgrade to.


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