Valentini puffer misconceptions

[bgilson]

I have had a valentini puffer for about 9 months now. He has been a great tank mate. I have been looking through post on them in here since I got him.

Reef safe? Thats going to depend on your tank and timing of getting him. Mine is reef safe but he does occasionally pick at a coral but not constant or damaging.

Do they need teeth grinded? Absolutely. I had read on this forum multiple times that these puffers do not need teeth trimmed or clams or etc. Well for a fact my puffer is in need because I neglected to do clams. I did try snails but he didnt like them enough to eat them or hell even bother them. Now I am in a situation where I guess I have to clove oil him to get his teeth trimmed. Which is something I have never down so all goes good.

Just my two cents to maybe help someone else so they dont end up in a situation that I am in.

 

[blaxsun]

The cleaner wrasse we have killed ours (apparently a burning hatred for that particular pufferfish).

 

[ReefSkippy]

I reckon they must all have their own personality. I've had a Valentini for a little over a year now. I have a mixed reef and she's been a model citizen. She never picks at the corals, never harrasess other tank mates (although I suspect she may have disappeared a snail or two). Absolutely no interest in clams, I've tried on numerous occasions, and she won't have a bar of it. I haven't had any teeth issues but that may be because I regularly see (and hear) her happily scraping food off of rocks and corraline algae. Definitely one of my favourite fish.

 

[Katazmic]

I have had a valentini puffer for about 9 months now. He has been a great tank mate. I have been looking through post on them in here since I got him.

Reef safe? Thats going to depend on your tank and timing of getting him. Mine is reef safe but he does occasionally pick at a coral but not constant or damaging.

Do they need teeth grinded? Absolutely. I had read on this forum multiple times that these puffers do not need teeth trimmed or clams or etc. Well for a fact my puffer is in need because I neglected to do clams. I did try snails but he didnt like them enough to eat them or hell even bother them. Now I am in a situation where I guess I have to clove oil him to get his teeth trimmed. Which is something I have never down so all goes good.

Just my two cents to maybe help someone else so they dont end up in a situation that I am in.

I have had a valentini puffer for almost 4 years now and found myself in your situation about 8 - 9 months ago. I was so stressed thinking about doing the clove oil sedation. Turned out super easy and took less than 10 minutes. The trick is to remain calm and do each step slowly. I would recommend having an acclimation tank in your display for him/her to recover in though. (I am going to assume you know to never take him/her out of the water at all)

 

[Cantusaurus]

Yeah, an aquarium I work with has a valentini. And it never has bothered any corals. It also seemed to file its beak down itself. It seemed to like pecking the rock occassionally, and I think he's eaten some of the small vermetid snails. I don't usually see that many tiny vermetids.
It would try and attack some small nassarius snails I would try to add though. But established snails, and hermits seemed to do fine. I think when the snails were stressed and falling over thats when the valentini would take advantage.
Other then the firefish in the tank will randomly have his top fin cut in half. And then it would grow back and then it'll happen again. So I think the puffer is routinely munching the top fin off? Not sure how he gets that close to the firefish. But the firefish is still super healthy a year later, and he grows it back. May rehome the puffer if it continues. But all other fish fins look un nipped at.

It also has surprised me how hardy of fish they are.