Clean Up Crew with a Valentini Puffer

[a;lksdjf]

I have had a Valentini Puffer for about 2 months who has just recently stopped chasing my scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp and my fire shrimp around the tank and has eaten a couple hermit crabs and an emerald crab. I would love to add something to help with my hair algae aside from my tailspot blenny that is currently in quarantine and the flame angel that will be the very last addition to my tank. Anyone know if there is a snail or urchin or something that the puffer would leave alone?

 

[vetteguy53081]

They hunt invetts naturally and have clamshell teeth to accomplish this task

 

[a;lksdjf]

They hunt invetts naturally and have clamshell teeth to accomplish this task

I know this and I feed him table shrimp with the shell on to wear his teeth down about twice a week. Aside from that he eats Marine Cuisine frozen food twice a day. I was just hoping that with all of this I would be able to keep something aside from a blenny and a flame angel to help deal with the algae

 

[James M]

Puffer will leaves urchin alone

 

[a;lksdjf]

Puffer will leaves urchin alone

alright I'll try a tuxedo urchin if I can find one at the LFS. I just have to be a little more cautious with it because I accidentally killed my old pincushion urchin

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yellow eye tang, rabbit fish and for invert - pencil urchin

 

[a;lksdjf]

Yellow eye tang, rabbit fish and for invert - pencil urchin

the tank is a 45 gallon so I don't think a tang or rabbit fish would last very long, but it seems like urchins are the way to go

 

[James M]

alright I'll try a tuxedo urchin if I can find one at the LFS. I just have to be a little more cautious with it because I accidentally killed my old pincushion urchin

Good choice

 

[Grsfish]

When I had one he wiped out all the snails and hermits. I have had 2 yer chins that did a real good job cleaning algae but I didn’t have them the same time as the puffer

 

[Neptune 555]

Did the urchin live? I had a urchin added a puffer... the next day the urchin was dead floating in the tank - light like a beach volleyball,

would love to know if you had success with this?

thanks!
Neptune

 

[Evan28395950]

I added live rock when I started my tank. Turns out it came with 2 urchins. When I added Puffer he clearly saw them a few times, nothing. Then one day it the urchin was on the front glass area and I saw him pecking at it for a long time. Urchin is fine somehow, but just shows you can’t trust a puffer with anything lol.