Last Inhabitant

[SkiFletch]

I can only comment on that it is compatible with your other fish. Maybe someone else knows more about it's feeding requirements?

 

[shibby]

mysis, brine, krill they seem to eat everything!! i used to get some cockles im shells as well and pull it slightly apart to get the valentini interested, has good fun tryign to open it. while i had mine before it got moved into work it didnt seem to touch the hermits, snails i dont think it went after too much either, the only thing it did go after was a cleanershrimp but that may be becuase i foolishly introduced the shrimp after the puffer.

 

[fishwatcher]

Awesome... now where do I find cockles? Are they a type of clam?

 

[Lynden]

I can't comment on cockle availability, but I can say that keeping a puffer's teeth trimmed is a near non-issue in marine tanks. Contrary to popular opinion (curiously, this is made up almost entirely of people who don't keep puffers), they do not attack hermits and shrimp for the sole purpose of wearing down their teeth. I have actually heard this as the main argument as to why they are not "reef safe". Rather, the feeder can feed them "regular" foods and the puffer will actually bite rocks and coralline algae. Whether it sees an amphipod or is actually self-aware, I cannot say, but I have owned several triggers and puffers and all could be seen biting rocks from time to time. Mine today even avoid corals doing this; indeed, so far my "un-reefsafe" fish have been 100% trouble free.

 

[fishwatcher]

Really? I was told she would be reef-safe for about an hour, after that expect total destruction of all hermits, snails, shrimp, etc.
So what kind of food do you feed your puffers? Also, I know with my dwarf puffer I fed it everyday for the first few months and then switched to every other day after it was older. Is that how I do with the valentini or does it need to be fed 1-2x a day like the other fish?
Thanks all!

 

[Lynden]

Mine gets food once or twice a day. It also bites the unthawed prawns I feed to the morays. Feeding is not a huge issue, but they are much more likely to eat small inverts if they are underfed.

P.S.
Some valentinis are fine with all inverts while others (such as Shibby's) are terrors. You should be willing to take the risk before buying it.

 

[fishwatcher]

So I could toss small pieces of shelled (or unshelled?) frozen shrimp in the tank too?
Would they need to be raw or will the precooked ones be ok too?
I've decided I'm going for it... I just hope that if she eats my hermits that they don't feel much.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Lynden]

Shelled is fine; raw is better. You need to present them on a stick as it is unlikely the puffer will eat it all, or even half.

 

[fishwatcher]

Will do! I'm sure I'll have some other questions after I pick her up tomorrow...

 

[shibby]

good choice i miss my terror!