First marine tank- meet my valentini

[t1gerbee]

oh.. and my beautiful clowns..






Tank been up and running for two months now, valentini been in about 3 weeks....


I'm very proud because nothing has died and everything seems happy.

(Still run in and count them all each morning, just because I'm convinced something will go wrong!)



Ceylon puffer is also doing extremely well in his own tank and is getting big! Love seeing his little white belly especially after all the initial trouble I had with him.

[manutius]

wow great pics, thanks for sharing. Everytime I see pics like these I wish I could go marine, when we move house next time I will be looking into it

[t1gerbee]

awww... thanks very much.


I had to really think through the camera settings to get them like this, but once i'd got the camera set then they were easy.


You need an SLR and a speedlite.. the rest is easy. (camera wise that is.. marine wise... SCARY!)

[Pufferpunk]

The clowns are hosting the leather huh? Are you thinking of getting them an anemone? Nice chubby puffer you've got there!

[yunachin]

Those are amazing pictures. I love taking photos of my tanks because there is always something new going on.
Your fish are just amazing also! Great work!!

[spoot]

nicely plump valentini!

[t1gerbee]

the clowns are tank bred so i didn't think they'd host anything.. so was quite surprised when they found the leather. They don't exclusively host it though.. think they just find it fun to play with sometimes.

I would love an anenome but thought i read about them stinging a valentini... (pufferpunk?) Maybe it was someone else!don't want that either way! Like my little valentini. :0)


Also want to get alot more advanced in marine keeping and mature the tank more before going near anenomes as i don't want to get it and then kill it by not being clever enough to keep it alive. Keeping wild things still feels strange to me.. and killing them is not an option.

I feed my valentini frozen brine,mysis and live river shrimp.. he seems happy. Think he hunts the live rock too... he's always examining the surface of the rock... he must be able to see something I can't!


Thanks for the comments. Its thanks to you guys that I got into brackish and springboarded to marine! :0)


xxx



oh.. question... are valentini's really puffers... as in have teeth? Do i need a crunchy diet for him.. can't find any reference to it. Anyone know?

[Pufferpunk]

Yup, they are puffers. Bubbletip anemones will not sting your fish. It was my seriously-stinting tube anemone that stung my puffers & they are careful now, not to go anywehre near it! You will have to have a stable tank for 6-12 months before you can support a healthy anemone. Don't be too sure tank-raise clowns won't host in one. Mine always have.

How large is the tank?

[t1gerbee]

so if he is a true puffer should i put some cockles in? or snails? I did try a muscle in shell that i'd cracked but he didn't go near it... took ot out after a few hours as i was worried about it fouling the water.


the tank is 30 uk gallons... and it is my first one.. so i'm keeping it nice and simple... three fish, tried a cleaner shrimp but valentini finished him off.. (the shrimp was bigger than valentini but that didn't stop him!!!! So now clean the tank myself and stir the sand...


don't think i'll keep an anenome... only got t5's and its not a big tank and....

so if the clowns are happy with the leather then so am i!

[bonnie3188]

Nice puffer!

I have a Valentini too and I dont feed him snails or mussel or anything, although im sure he eats some of the thousands of baby snails that are in the tank. Mine doesnt like mussel, and he eats cockles but it doesnt seem hard enough to wear down his teeth. Ive had mine for over a year and his teeth arent noticeable unless you look really really closely. Ive found that its very rare to see Valentini's with long teeth.

If you can, Id buy some large snails (i use turbo's or cerith snails) and put them in the tank. The valentini hopefully wont eat them, but when the snails reproduce- which is very frequently in my tank- he might eat those.

Oh, and we need a full tank shot!

[Pufferpunk]

Not my Valentini, nor my bluespot or baby burrfish have touched a large cleaner shrimp, small peppermint shrimp, small & giant snails or hermits. They will all take turns ripping off flesh from most anything meaty I hang off a holder for them.

[t1gerbee]

It was your photos of a valentini that made me want one....i read your post on your tank from beginning to end

And you're not getting full tank pictures as its very bare at the moment.. only lots of rock and one leather.... i'd be ashamed to put a picture up!!! :0)


Valentini definitely had the cleaner... he kept going for its legs, bit it's feelers off.... I watched him. Kept feeding him lots to make sure it wasn't him being hungry but...

I tried to take the shrimp back but they wouldn't take it.. and I only have one marine tank so couldn't move him. Re-arranged the rock to create more hiding places but next day just found a back of a body.. :0(

It took him a week, but he'd killed it. He goes for the river shrimp, again always getting their legs!


WIll have to try the snails thing..

Maybe he's just to little to eat anything really meaty.. he's only 3cm..he certainly loves the brine/mysis... i hand feed him.

:0)

[sparks42]

wow very nice pics!! i'm here alone and your valentini mad me say "aww" out loud