Valentini puffer

cale_tino · Dec 18, 2023

I’ve had a valentine puffer for 3 days now and he’s just been sitting in one spot for about 2 days I am thinking it is because he is still getting used to his environment he does go on the rock structure when I turn the light off for the night, later this afternoon he’s starting to move around a bit more. He’s showing no interest in the food that I have been giving him but when I first got him he did eat some Mysis shrimp off the sand but other than that nothing, Should I be worried?

He is housed with a Niger trigger(who will get a new home soon) about the same size as him, just a bit bigger and 2 domino damsels. they all have no issues with each other and get along pretty well.

Tank size is 29 gallons

iReefer12 · Dec 18, 2023

I’ve had one around 4 years now, great fish.

Mine didn’t eat any prepared foods for around a month, just picked at rock until he discovered what the floating bits of food were. Now eats everything,

I would definitely try to pick up some clams on the half shell, grocery store clams, he should go right after that and that should hold him over until he figures out he can eat the floating food.

cale_tino · Dec 18, 2023

Ok, I will give that a go thank you. Did yours kind of sit around when you first got him?

iReefer12 · Dec 18, 2023

No, I didn’t notice that. He was always looking at the rocks inspecting, looking for food.

Keep an eye on the domino damsels, they could be harassing him, you might not notice it, but could have already penned him into that spot, so now he doesn’t feel like he can leave it, and you don’t notice the harassment as it’s already happened.

cale_tino · Dec 18, 2023

Ok thank you!!

00W · Dec 18, 2023

Small tank for that group of fish.
Nowhere to run if picked on so definitely keep an eye on things.
Mine ended up eating almost anything and everything but as was mentioned above, always curious about everything from the start.
Great fish with lots of personality.
Trigger is wild but those damsels can be awful.

littlefoxx · Dec 18, 2023

I have a baby stars and stripes puffer. First two days he sat in a corner. I fed him shrimp with the shell on (he went nuts) as well as clams on the half shell. After that he swims around and finds spots to chill

cale_tino · Dec 18, 2023

Definitely will be moving the damsels then

cale_tino · Dec 19, 2023

iReefer12 said:
No, I didn’t notice that. He was always looking at the rocks inspecting, looking for food.

Keep an eye on the domino damsels, they could be harassing him, you might not notice it, but could have already penned him into that spot, so now he doesn’t feel like he can leave it, and you don’t notice the harassment as it’s already happened.

I turned the lights on night mode for the day just to see and he has been much more active