The Puffer Forum

Hey all,

I have a new valentini puffer who was doing great for the first two weeks but within the last two days, started hiding and laying on the rocks all day long. Previously, he was very active, hunting on the live rock, eating stomatella snails and whatever other tiny invertebrates he found.

It looks a little puffy and has a small white mark on its back. I am not sure what happened but I'm thinking it may have been stung by the bubble tip in the tank or attacked by the large Sally lightfoot crab. Maybe that's why he looks a little puffy?

Everyone else in the tank looks good and the water tested fine: Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0, ph 8.4, calcium 480, magnesium 1360, KH 9.5. I do a 20% water change weekly.

This is in a 40 breeder with a 20g sump.

The inhabitants consist of an ORA spotcinctus clown, the puffer, a peppermint shrimp and the sally lightfoot crab. There is a torch coral, hammer, trumpet, GSP, acan, meteor shower, a couple ricordias, and small shroom.

So yeah, just looking to get some advice on how to help him out. I'd rather take him back to the store than have him die, so I was hoping to get some insight on what might be wrong with him.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

IMO, the store: A. Won't take him back ill or B. Will flush him, rather than adding them to their system.
I have lots of fish with my BTAs & they've never been stung. Can you post a pic?

This is a very small store and the owner is really great, he's told me in the past to bring anything back if it doesn't work out. I'm pretty sure he will take it and QT it. Since I know that's what he did when I donated all my freshwater fish to him.

The bta stung my clown a few days after I put it in the tank, that's the only reason I thought it's a possibility.

I will try and get a pic next time he's out. Right now he's disappeared into the rock work. I have only seen him for a couple hours in the morning the last two days.

Here's a shot of the tank:

le0p wrote:This is a very small store and the owner is really great, he's told me in the past to bring anything back if it doesn't work out. I'm pretty sure he will take it and QT it. Since I know that's what he did when I donated all my freshwater fish to him.

The bta stung my clown a few days after I put it in the tank, that's the only reason I thought it's a possibility.

I will try and get a pic next time he's out. Right now he's disappeared into the rock work. I have only seen him for a couple hours in the morning the last two days.

Here's a shot of the tank:

very beautiful tank my friend, unfortunately i have no advice to give on the valentini. But I do have a question...I was under the impression that clowns were immune to anemones, hence the reason they "host" them, is that not 100% correct?

That's how mine sleeps.

Yea I've only had mine 4 days, but mine sleeps on the rock motionless, but soon as the light comes on at 6:00am and I feed them breakfast, he and all the others come to life. But occasionally, my valentini will "take a break" I guess for a few minutes from time to time and just kind of sit on the rock. But not longer than a few minutes. Gets tired of swimming and hunting I guess. But mine seems healthy, then again I've only had him a few days.