Valentini Puffer is a notorious invertebrate eater. However, they are also beautiful fish. Because of this, a lot of people wonder whether it is worth the risk of adding them to their tank. So, let’s take a look, shall we?
Is Valentini Puffer Reef Safe?
Perhaps. A lot of Valentini Puffers have been placed in reef tanks and have not damaged anything. However, it is always going to be a risk.
At the end of the day, a Valentini Puffer is an invertebrate eater. This means that it may want to have a bit of a nibble on the reef every so often. You can’t really control this behavior.
If you are going to put a Valentini Puffer in a reef tank, then we do suggest that anything that you include is fairly cheap. Don’t go sticking your most expensive reef items inside of a tank, not with a Valentini Puffer. There is a good chance that they will destroy them, although it is likely to be a slow process, particularly if you do keep the Valentini Puffer fairly well-fed.
Will Valentini Puffers Eat Coral?
Maybe.
Coral is potentially in their diet, which means that there is always a good chance that they could nibble on it. There is little that you are able to do to combat this behavior. You can’t really train your fish, after all.
That being said, the chances of your Valentini Puffers eating coral do appear to be quite slim. Although, the jury is still out among fish keepers. Some fish keepers have found that their Valentini Puffers won’t go near the coral at all, while others will find that their Valentini Puffers are having a good munch on the coral no matter what happens.
In our opinion, the same as what we said before applies. If you are going to put Valentini Puffers in a tank, then you should know that there is always going to be a risk of them eating the coral or any invertebrates. The risk is small for the former, but there is a risk nonetheless. This means that if you genuinely do care, then you can either not put Valentini Puffers in an aquarium that has a lot of coral in it, or you can ensure that you only put them in an aquarium that has cheap coral in it. This way, if they do end up destroying it, you probably are not going to care as much.
What Pufferfish Are Reef Safe?
A lot of fishkeepers do class the Valentini Puffer as reef-safe, mostly because it is pretty close to being reef-safe. We have told you that there is a small chance that they will consume the reef, but it is a very small chance. Even if they did decide to tinker about with the reef, we doubt that they would cause untold amounts of damage.
The Blue Spotted Puffer is the only other puffer fish that you may see as being reef-safe. However, this tends to have the same issues as the Valentini Puffer. This means that it is sort of reef-safe, but you are always going to be taking a risk if you place it in your tank.
The Dog Face Puffer and the Porcupine Puffer are not reef-safe at all. Do not even think about buying these if you are planning on building a reef in your tank, because both of them will destroy it. The reason we are pointing this out is that both of these fish are widely available. In fact, they are often some of the first puffers that people end up getting. Avoid them.
Are Valentini Puffers Peaceful?
To an extent, yes. They are a calm animal, although if other fish start to be aggressive toward the Valentini Puffer, then there is a good chance that they will fight back.
However, you do need to be aware that Valentini Puffers natural diet consists of invertebrates. This means that if you have shrimp, etc. swimming around in your tank, then the Valentini Puffer is going to eat them. This seems pretty aggressive to us! However, with each other and against other fish? They are very, very calm.
Will Valentini Puffer Eat Cleaner Shrimp?
Yes.
Shrimp are part of the natural diet for a Valentini Puffer, which means they will have absolutely no issues eating the cleaner shrimp.
Do bear in mind that the Valentini Puffer is not a big eater. A lot of people have reported that the Valentini Puffer leaves the cleaner shrimp in their tank alone for a good while. However, you should remember that, sooner or later, those shrimp are going to be eaten. It isn’t a case of if, it is a case of when.
You should never put a Valentini Puffer in a tank with invertebrates that you don’t want them to eat.
What Do Valentini Puffer Fish Eat?
We like to compare the Valentini Puffer to a rabbit. If you have ever had a rabbit, then you will know that its teeth grow constantly. This is why you need to give them so much hay. They have to keep munching to ensure that their teeth wear down properly. If they don’t, it causes them a lot of issues.
The Valentini Puffer is exactly like a rabbit. Their teeth never stop growing. This means that they need to eat foods that will wear them down. This means hard-shelled creates such as shrimp. They love shrimp. However, the Valentini Puffer will also eat a lot of squid, clams, and krill.
Conclusion
The Valentini Puffer is almost reef-safe, but we probably wouldn’t take the risk of adding one of these fish to your reef if you are a fan of ensuring that your reef stays in perfect condition. You should also avoid adding the Valentini Puffer to your reef if there are a lot of invertebrates in there. The Valentini Puffer will end up eating them, and this could throw your entire tank into disarray.
