Little Shop of Coral
Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
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The Valentini Puffer is a small, bold, and highly interactive puffer with a clean pattern and tons of personality. It is always on the move, inspecting rockwork and watching what happens outside the tank. This species stays a manageable size, making it a great choice for smaller fish-only systems or carefully planned mixed tanks where ornamental invertebrates are not the priority.
Why we love it
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Big personality in a smaller puffer size
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Very interactive and fun to watch
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Hardy once settled and eating well
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Great centerpiece fish for smaller marine tanks
Care and Compatibility
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Safe: With caution
Diet: Carnivore
Adult Size: ~4"
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons recommended (40g+ ideal)
Feeding
Valentini Puffers do best with a varied meaty diet.
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Frozen mysis, krill, and chopped seafood
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High-quality carnivore pellets once established
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Occasional hard foods like clam or shrimp can help support natural tooth wear
Feed once or twice daily and avoid overfeeding to help maintain water quality.
Tank and Setup Notes
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Provide rockwork and caves for exploring and resting
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Strong filtration is important since puffers can be messy eaters
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Moderate flow with calmer areas is ideal
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Stable parameters and good oxygenation support long-term health
Compatibility Tips
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Best with confident, non-aggressive tank mates that will not nip its fins
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Can nip fins of slow or long-finned fish, especially in smaller tanks
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Not safe with most ornamental invertebrates. Snails, crabs, and shrimp are often viewed as food
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In reef tanks, some individuals ignore corals, but many will pick at the cleanup crew and may sample soft corals
Acclimation and Health
Slow acclimation is recommended. This species usually adapts well once feeding, but it is important to ensure it is eating confidently during the first week. Quarantine is ideal when possible.
Collapsible content
LIGHT
LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.
MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height.
HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.
FLOW
LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.
MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.
HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.
SKILL
ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.
While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.
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