Handling a Valentini Puffer?

[Fishbro]

I’m picking up a Valentini Puffer this week for my tank and wondering how to properly acclimate it? I know i shouldn’t use a net since it doesn’t have scales but how should i acclimate it to my tank without getting it out of the water? And how should i actually put it in the tank without it getting exposed to air? I’d rather not use the person’s tank water that i’m picking it up from.

 

[Pistondog]

No sps or lps, right?
Crabs, urchins, starfish also are food.
I have a toby puffer in my 75g he is the reason we can't have nice things.
Was supposed to be fowlr.
He is the tank star though.
Soft corals and shrooms ok.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Use a Tupperware to transfer it. Drip acclimate until water volume with fish doubles/triples then dump all the water out until you’re back at the original 1/2-1/3 water volume. Repeat 2-3x then pour water+ fish in your tank. At that point, 99% of the original water has gone down the drain and the fish never touches the air :) make sure you have plenty of tank water to do this with and that you use a bubbler because this method takes forever

 

[Alenya]

After acclimating I just used a medium container to scoop him up then a small one to transfer him to the tank in a cup of water.

 

[Fishbro]

No sps or lps, right?
Crabs, urchins, starfish also are food.
I have a toby puffer in my 75g he is the reason we can't have nice things.
Was supposed to be fowlr.
He is the tank star though.
Soft corals and shrooms ok.

So i do have LPS but the guy that has this specific puffer in his tank for a while has had no interest in his coral at all, and has been a model citizen in his tank. It’s a risk i’m willing to take that the behavior of this puffer could possibly change, but i have a home for it if it decides to munch on my coral.

 

[Chrisfish]

I’m picking up a Valentini Puffer this week for my tank and wondering how to properly acclimate it? I know i shouldn’t use a net since it doesn’t have scales but how should i acclimate it to my tank without getting it out of the water? And how should i actually put it in the tank without it getting exposed to air? I’d rather not use the person’s tank water that i’m picking it up from.

I have a valentini puffer, absolutely love him, I’ll be honest I ordered him on line and when I saw the water conditions he arrived in in put him in a large Tupperware container with half of the water and added my tank watering a short period of time , I took a smaller container with the smallest amount to cover him and got as close to the water level and pushed him in, 5 mos. later and he’s doing great, my favorite fish!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Place in a small pail or bucket (clean one) and float bag in tank for about 20 mins. Empty bag and fish into that container and add a cup of tank water to pail every 15 minutes SIX times ( 1.5 hours).
Measure salinity assuring it is same or close to tank salinity and then scoop puffer with that same cup and release into display tank

 

[Fishbro]

Also purchasing some frozen food from marine depot tonight, do valentini puffers like clams too or is that just freshwater puffers i’ve seen?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also purchasing some frozen food from marine depot tonight, do valentini puffers like clams too or is that just freshwater puffers i’ve seen?

clams - ehhhh
Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, small plankton, and small pellets

 

[Fishbro]

And if so do you put the whole half shell in the tank?

 

[Fishbro]

clams - ehhhh
Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, small plankton, and small pellets

Ok got it, so does it’s beak not need to be worn done a lot? I’ve seen some other big puffers that have to have like multiple clams a day.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

If he is exposed to air and inflates he may not deflate on his own. You can gently rub from back to front and force the air out. No net as others have mentioned. Mine is an upstanding citizen and have never touched corals but nipped at cerths only. Cowries or bit hermits work well as CUC. Feed em little neck clams from grocery store.

 

[Alenya]

Mine shows little interest in clams on the half shell. However smashes marine mix etc every feeding time :)

 

[SanFernandoValleyAIOReef]

Ok got it, so does it’s beak not need to be worn done a lot? I’ve seen some other big puffers that have to have like multiple clams a day.

This puffer is actually from the filefish family, (LFS info) so they don’t need to file their teeth, just got one today! Full size about 3” Currently acclimating! I put all my fish in by hand(except fox face), can I do the same with this guy?

clams - ehhhh
Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, small plankton, and small pellets

 

[bluemon]

This puffer is actually from the filefish family, (LFS info) so they don’t need to file their teeth, just got one today! Full size about 3” Currently acclimating! I put all my fish in by hand(except fox face), can I do the same with this guy?

Then you did not get the Saddle Valentini Puffer.

You got the Mimic Saddle Puffer. Which is not a puffer, like your LFS said. It is a filefish. In the wild, it lives with the Saddle Puffers so it can pretend to be poisonous for predators.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This puffer is actually from the filefish family, (LFS info) so they don’t need to file their teeth, just got one today! Full size about 3” Currently acclimating! I put all my fish in by hand(except fox face), can I do the same with this guy?

Your LFS is definitly Incorrect as I sold these at My LFS and are from a group known as tetraodontidae which includes trade names such as blowfish, balloon fish and puffer- Not Filefish. Filefish are from the group monacanthidae related to tetraodontiform fish known as leatherjackets or shingles and related to triggerfish and some small puffers like blue spot.