Valentini Puffer introduction... hlth., beh.   1/5/08
Hi guys
<Wil>
I just bought a new valentini puffer.. and I picked it up yesterday...
I did the usual leave the bag in the tank.. put some tank water in the bag... (did not quarantine).
<You'll learn>
It was swimming a bit yesterday but has mostly stayed on the ground.
<Not atypical behavior>
This morning I found it on the ground of the tank not moving. I poked it and it moved but would not swim.. it looked like it would hop and that's about it. Is it sleeping? And when it stays on the ground, it looks like he's breathing heavily.
<... could be trouble>
am worried that it is struggling to get used to the new tank conditions.
<What were "the old tank conditions?">
Tank conditions: SG 1.023-1.025, Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 0...
How long does it take for Valentinis to acclimate to its new surroundings, is it common that they stay on the bottom for long periods of time.?
<Usually w/in a day or two...>
What can I do to make the acclimatisation smoother?
Thanks guys.
<At this point? Not much... keep an eye on this fish... read re its care... Maybe on WWM! Bob Fenner>

Valentini Puffer Personality Question   8/23/07
Good Day Crew,
<Hi Eric, Pufferpunk here>
I am interested in a Valentini puffer and have been doing extensive research on this site, as well as The Puffer Forum, Liveaquaria.com and some others. I know most everything I can think of, in terms of care, adequate setup, companions, water quality, temperament, food, etc, etc. I do have one remaining question.
<OK>
One reason I like puffers so much is their intelligence and "dog like personality"... as stated on this and other sites.
<Me too, exactly!>
I know that varieties of the Dog Face, Spiny Box, Porcupine, others normally develop a "personality" - meaning they almost "beg" for food, respond to your proximity and some
have even been "trained" to respond to non-verbal clues so they don't eat food meant for the eel. (Interesting point, did read on this website, don't remember exact article).
<Not sure I believe that one.>
My problem is that I'd LOVE a puffer like the ones mentioned above, however my tank is much too small. (55 ga, 48 inches long) For this, I would like a Valentini but have not found anything in regard to their personality ( I know they're aggressive) -- meaning normally do these puffers exhibit
similar behavior/intelligence/begging/etc. as the previously mentioned puffers?
<Yes, yes & yes! All those things in a cute little package. I have recently purchased one. It is in the tank behind me & I always catch it looking at me over my shoulder, while I'm working on the computer (when it's not looking for food). There is a gal, Bonnie, at The Puffer Forum, that suggested the Valentini over other sharp-nosed puffers, when I asked her about which one to get. She said personality-wise, that species would be the best choice. I sure like my lil fella! So far, he's left all the crabs & snails alone (each puffer may be different though). He is very curious & never touched any of the corals I have in there. I've got several kinds of leathers, zoanthids, frogspawn, hammer, mushrooms, tube anemone & plate coral. He also lives with a couple of damselfish. Good luck with your puffer! ~PP>
Thanks for all the help!
Great site, Eric

Valentini Puffer   8/23/06
Hello,
<Hello>
I have a Valentini puffer in my 125 gal community / live rock tank. He has been my 'anchor' resident for over eight years (2 false Perculas and a Royal Gramma have been with me for nearly eight years and a number of other critters for about two - four years.) He has been a great host and hasn't nipped fins, but does occasionally eat my frequently replenished snail stock  (he's definitely a male Valentini).
<Mmmm>
  He still looks healthy as a horse.  How long should I expect him to be around?
Any ideas on the life span of the Royal Gramma or False Perc's?
Thanks,
Craig Martin
<If memory serves, all three of these species have been known to approach twenty years in captivity. Good on ya. Bob Fenner>

Valentini Puffer & Talbot's Damsel  9/27/05
Hi! <Hi There!>
I have a Valentini Puffer. We've had him (or her) for about 2 weeks. He lives in a 90L (Sorry I'm from Australia!! I have no idea what it is in gallons... maybe near 30 - 40g??) The tank is @ 24 degrees Celsius (again no idea ... actually wait I converted it online and its 75.2F) The ammonia levels are a little high (but we're doing water changes every 3 - 4 days to correct it and it’s lowering pretty well) We take the water for a weekly water check at the LFS and they told us the water is great. (Better than theirs), except the carbonate hardiness is too low, so we are using Coral Success to fix this up).
<The ammonia should be zero, so a little high would not be considered great water quality. I would like to see daily water changes until the ammonia is 0.>
He is kept with a Pajama Cardinal, Ocellaris Clown, Banded Damsel, Domino Damsel, Green Chromis and 2 Talbot Damsels. He's very peaceful and just seems to pick at the rocks very often, no worry to me, I don't mind him doing it. We feed him a multi-vitamin frozen food and sometimes frozen brine. He also gets fed live brine.
<He needs a variety of meaty seafood as well as some greens.>
I have read your Puffer dentistry article and could not see anything specific about Valentini Puffer teeth. I have printed out your General Puffer info but I haven't read it yet. (I will after writing this but its 17 pages long!!) I was wondering how am I supposed to know when his teeth get too big?
<It would be preferable to prevent his teeth from over growing by feeding him some seafood in the shell so he can keep them in check himself.>
I read your other responses about Puffers and couldn't see anything specific to the Canthigaster Valentini.
<The information should be similar and applicable to your puffer.>
Also I read that some people are concerned about the size of their puffers stomach.
<Their bellies do have quite a capacity for expansion, which can be witnessed after a good meal.>
My puffer has got a bit of a big tummy, but since we've had him he's only puffed up once and eats all day long.
<Most of them do like to eat.>
(The tank has only been set up with fish for about 4-6 weeks) How will I know if its a fat stomach or an air filled stomach?
<If he has taken air into his stomach you may notice the pocket of air as a bulge and his orientation in the water will be off, in other words he most likely will be off balance and have difficulty remaining in his normal swimming position. The area containing the air will be directed towards the surface and he may possibly even be floating near the surface if there is a good amount of air trapped. This is often referred to as positive buoyancy.>
Also he's very hard to catch and the tank has a lot of
live rock and coral that all the fishes have hiding-holes and caves to jump in as soon as my hand goes in the tank. So I can't really grab him to touch his stomach, (like you've told others to do) how else would I know? And wouldn't it hurt him if I were to press on his stomach?
<This is really not necessary unless you suspect that there is a problem. It is preferable to keep your hands out of the tank and off the fish. Every time you touch your fish you disturb their slime coat which serves a protective function for the skin.>
My puffer is so beautiful and loves to make faces at the glass and run up and down to show off to me.
<Yes they are very pretty and have quite endearing personalities.  I find them irresistible to say the least. Puffers are one of my favorites.>
Thanks for all the great info, I've learned a lot
about him, just by reading some Q&A's on your site.
<That’s great keep up the reading. Educating yourself is one of the best things you can do for your fish!>
Also I have 2 Talbot Damsels in the tank, they are pretty aggressive towards all the other fish (except the Pajama Cardinal and Valentini puffer, I think because they're bigger than the Talbot's)
<Very possibly. I am not familiar with that particular Damsel species but the family as a whole is fairly aggressive. The PJ Cardinalfish should really be kept in a peaceful community tank. The Damsels and Puffer are really not appropriate tankmates. Please do keep a close eye on these fish for any signs of harassing the Cardinalfish.>
If I took one of them out (if I can catch them) would this fix the problem?
<No I don’t think so.>
My LFS said that if I keep my tank around 34C (75F) then it will stop them being so aggressive because it will keep their metabolism low, making them less hungry. Is this true?
<In theory I guess it is a possibility but my best guess is that it would not work to your advantage. If it were my tank and fish I would not want to wait to find out. I would remove the aggressors as soon as possible. The fish that are being harassed are at risk for an injury and are definitely being stressed. Stress is a precursor to disease.  Elevated ammonia levels are also stressful. Add the stress of being harassed to the increased ammonia levels and you have a recipe for sick fish. Please do consider removing the Talbot Damsels as well as doing more frequent water changes. >
Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Sarah
<You’re most welcome! Best of luck with your fish. HTH, Leslie>

Valentini Puffer  11/17/05
Hi! I have a Valentini puffer (saddle back), I previously wrote (in about end of Sept) to get some info and you guys were great! thanks.  I have a curved glass aquarium (the front corners are curved, and have no joint, so that the only joining of glass is at the back of the tank, where there are just normal right angle corners... I hope that makes sense?)
<Yep>
Anyway my puffer is a bit of show off and she likes to run up and down and up and down and up and down (for ages, sometimes 15 - 20 min.s, for about 3 or 4 times a day) the curved corners. I don't know if she can see a reflection of herself or something like that,
<Or you... associated with food/feeding...>
but I was wondering if its healthy for her to be swimming up and down the curved corners? 
<No worries>
and if its not what can I do about it?
<Zip>
And even if it is healthy Its kinda annoying. So how can I stop it. 
<<This is not a domesticated animal whose behavior you can modify at will.  MH>>
Just FYI, he's very healthy otherwise (he is about 9 months old) and the tank is very stable. We have 7 other fish (in a 90 litre tank) 3 x Green Chromis, a domino damsel, a ocellaris clown, a pajama cardinal and a sand sifter, all of whom are relatively healthy and generally not aggressive.  We feed them once a day, frozen green marine food (vitamin stuff) and generally the tank is in good order.
<Sounds good>
Also we have two (2 - 3cm's- around 1 inch) unwanted crabs. they came with the live rocks. Any ideas of how to get rid of them?
<Could be baited, trapped out: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/swcrabcomp.htm>
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Sarah
<Welcome. Bob Fenner> 

My little fishy (puffers)
I call him (or her) Baby. Baby is a Valentini and only about one inch long.
Baby is new to the tank and only has to deal with a Figure 8 Puffer. I am
wondering about Baby's strange behavior. Baby pulls her/his tail close to
the body and starts going in circles and darting about. Is this a defense
mechanism? 
<Hmm, maybe... have only seen and heard of this about Tobies, Sharpnose puffers (subfamily Canthigastrinae) a few times.>
Are they also unusually shy? The figure 8 (Fishhead is his name)
is not much bigger but was there first.
This is my first tank, first puffers, and I am having a great time. It is
in my office and everyone comes to visit Fishhead and Baby. Let me know what
you think. Thanks, Linda
<Good names, good owner. Bob Fenner>

Puffer question
Hello!
<Hi! Ananda here today...>
I am new to the hobby and just got a 125g saltwater tank. Please excuse me in advance if I am listing too much info!
<Too much info? Truthfully, more is better.>
The setup has fish, live rock and live sand. Wet/dry system w/ protein skimmer.  There were 9 assorted fishes (yellow tang, a large Emp angel, yellow cow, powder blue tang, 3 blue damsels, a percula clown, and a semi-large maroon/gold clown) that came with the tank, all of which I had quarantined at my LFS until my tank was ready.  All of the fish get along great and have been together for at least a year.
<Oh, my, that is a volatile mix. The cowfish will get huge. Do research their special needs. The maroon clown is likely to get mean and harm the percula clown -- you've got the most aggressive clown (the maroon) in with one of the least aggressive clowns, and that's a recipe for clown wars, which the percula is likely to lose. I'd get the perc into a different tank.>
I decided to pick up an additional fish at the store which I thought was so cool- a rather small Hawaiian blue puffer.
<Canthigaster jactator, presumably.>
I had seen it in the store for at least 2 weeks and it looked rather healthy w/ no signs of problems; it was isolated in a small tank of its own.
<Watching it for a while is a good idea.>
The LFS is a very well run/maintained, clean store. I decided to drop all the fish in my tank simultaneously (after acclimating them) and they all immediately were in heaven (my 9 were in a 20g QT at the store, so I'm sure they were happy to be back in their 125). No signs of stress- all 10 immediately swimming about and eating well.
<Yikes on several fronts: the 20g QT, dropping all the fish in at once (which could lead to a massive ammonia spike!), and adding the puffer along with everything else without QTing it at home first -- and not having a QT tank yourself! I'm amazed every fish is okay so far.>
Later that evening, I couldn't find the puffer anywhere- turns out it went underneath a live rock and mounted itself upside down, belly flush rock AND changed colors (maybe shape too?) to blend in perfectly w/ the rock. It was like that again this morning only this time on top of a rock. It eventually woke up and started swimming about and eating this morning- colors are back to normal.
<Surely, it was significantly stressed by the introduction.>
I couldn't find any listing of this "camouflage" characteristic listed anywhere about this fish. I didn't know if this was normal (if it is, how cool!), or if it is sick?
<I don't have experience with this species, but I have known puffers to change color to blend in with their surroundings and darken when stressed.>
I also noticed a small blotch this morning which looked like sand or salt on one side of it, but it seemed to be gone an hour later, so I'm assuming that it was substrate.
<Maybe. Keep an eye on it.>
Anyway, appreciate any 411 you can give me on my new fish!
<Start with the WWM site and info about puffers, and with Fishbase, at http://www.fishbase.org >
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Michael Becker
<You're quite welcome. --Ananda>

Puffers sleeping nose-up! (02/23/04)
Dear Ananda,
<Hi!>
Hello, I was frequenting your Sharpnose puffer FAQs and came across the attached question from Elizabeth Mackie, and would like to contribute some info.
<I'm including a snip from the post you've mentioned:
"...at night when he "sleeps," he hangs vertically (nose-up) at the very top of one of the corners of the tank.  I have never seen a fish do that before." >
I have a Canthigaster compressa Sharpnose puffer, and he WILL sleep in the vertical position if there is light bothering him.
<Ah! Good to know!>
Sometimes he will go up in the corner vertically and sleep, but usually he sleeps horizontally on top of a powerhead (for warmth perhaps? Tank is around 78 degrees.)
<For warmth, perhaps, and there's the possibility he likes the massage action from the powerhead. Your puffer is not unique in this, at least.>
Anyway, I often catch him sleeping vertically behind the powerhead, and my only guess is because I have the lights in my room on past his bedtime when this happens. He is the cutest fish! I have had him for several years, and this seems to be normal behavior for him (well, his actual gender unknown!) Hope I could help!
Rob Lewis
Long Beach, CA USA
<Thank you for the info. I ALWAYS appreciate getting more or better info relating to puffers! --Ananda>

Puffed-Up Puffer  6/14/04
Hi, I'm really needing some advice right now
<Hi, Pufferpunk here.>
My valentini has been inflated on and off for over an hour. This happened after feeding him a shrimp tail (his favorite). He's never puffed up like this.
<Something must have spooked him.>
I put in a PolyFilter just in case of unknown toxins. I also did a 50% water change even though water levels were good: Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate zero, salinity 1.019, temp 80.
<SG sounds a little low.  Better at around 1.023.>
He's really upset and jumpy (he's usually very mellow)
and is seems to be drifting like a balloon.
<He sounds like he must have swallowed some air..  Hold him vertically, tail down, head under water & give him a few gentle shakes, until he "burps" it out.  He may inflate again while you're doing this, but he'll be sucking in water, so it'll be ok.>
He uninflated a couple of times (very briefly) then puffed up again. I didn't see him ingest any air but I guess it's a possibility.  He's in a 10g. QT and has been for 3 weeks.  Poor little guy. I feel totally helpless:(
Thanks much
-Angela
<After burping him, I'd leave the lights off & let him rest.  Good luck with the little fellow.  ~PP>