All fish / Tetraodontidae

Valentini Puffer

Canthigaster valentini

Also known as valentini puffer, black saddled toby, saddled puffer, valentin's sharpnose puffer, black-saddled puffer, saddle toby, valentini toby, sharpnose puffer, caution, ปลาปักเป้าลายอาน, シマキンチャクフグ, buntal pasir

A small, rounded puffer with a pointed snout, a white body with four dark saddle bars, fine orange-brown spots and blue-green lines around the eyes. It is kept for its bold colours, inquisitive character and modest adult size compared with other puffers.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

115 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a male with one or more females in a larger tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, krill, chopped shellfish and squid, plus hard-shelled foods such as snails and clams to wear down the teeth

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Tuamotus, north to southern Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

Males guard a harem of females, and eggs are laid on algae and guarded briefly before hatching. Spawning occasionally happens in aquariums, but raising the tiny larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

Not reef safe: it nips at corals, clams, ornamental shrimp and the fins of slow fish, and its skin contains toxins, so it should never be eaten. It is mimicked by the harmless filefish Paraluteres prionurus, which is often confused with it.