The popularity of keeping Valentini Puffer fish is on the rise again with more and more people adding a Valentini Puffer to their aquarium tanks each year.
Even though we don’t usually recommend a Valentini Puffer for a beginner to the fish keeping hobby, there are a number of beginners out there adding them to their tanks with many asking for help on the optimal Valentini Puffer diet.
The Valentini Puffer diet is a bit different than other common puffer fish diets. They are a carnivorous species and prefer to eat meatier items as oppose to plant based foods.
In the wild, they feed mostly on small fish, shrimp, and mollusks. Thankfully, all of these are available for cheap so you really shouldn’t have a problem with getting a healthy Valentini Puffer fish to eat.
There are also a number of carnivorous flake and pellet based fish food products on the market that contain the right mix of nutrients and vitamins that a Valentini Puffer needs that can make excellent primary food sources.
One important thing to remember when it comes to feeding a Valentini Puffer is that they have very small mouths. As a result, you will need to either chop up their food into very small pieces or find a fish food product that is made specifically for smaller fish species.
Why Is My Valentini Puffer Fish Not Eating?
If your Valentini Puffer fish isn’t eating, the first thing you need to check is the water quality in their tank.
Test the water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates using a good quality aquarium test kit. If any of these levels are too high, it could be stressing out your Valentini Puffer and causing it not to eat.
As we touched on above, a Valentini Puffer only has a very small mouth. If the food you are offering them is too large, they may not be able to eat it. Try chopping up their food into smaller pieces or look for a smaller fish food pellet that they can easily eat.
You can also go with a suitable fish food flake product and grind it up by rubbing your hands together with the flakes between them making it easy for your a Valentini Puffer to eat the food.
Sometimes Valentini Puffers will go through periods where they don’t want to eat. This is normal behavior and nothing to be overly concerned about.
Just make sure that the water quality in their tank is good and that you are offering them a variety of small food items to eat until they start eating again.
These random fasting periods that a Valentini Puffer fish seem to go through only usually last for a couple of days before they start eating again.
If your Valentini Puffer hasn’t started eating after a week, then you may want to take them to a vet to make sure that there isn’t an underlying health issue causing them not to eat.
Are Valentini Puffer Fish Picky Eaters?
Valentini Puffers are not known to be a particularly picky fish when it comes to their diet. As long as they are getting a variety of small meaty food items, they should be fine. That being said, every fish is an individual and some Valentini Puffers may be more finicky than others.
If you are having trouble getting your Valentini Puffer to eat, you may want to try offering them a variety of different foods until you find something that they like.
Some good options include small pieces of shrimp, fish, squid, and clams. You can also offer them freeze-dried bloodworms, brine shrimp, and krill.
Shrimp do seem to be a universal favorite of Valentini Puffer fish though with most of them really enjoying eating shrimp. If you can get your hands on some live or frozen shrimp, they will make an excellent treat for your Valentini Pufferfish.
Just make sure to remove any uneaten shrimp from the tank after feeding time as they will quickly decompose and pollute the water.
Please also note that Valentini Puffer Fish are not a suitable tank mate for pet shrimp as it is highly likely that they will try to eat them.
With some of the rarer shrimp morph colors having a high price tag, the last thing you want is to folk out for a rare looking shrimp only for your Valentini Puffer fish to eat it.
What Food Should You Include In A Valentini Puffer Fish Diet?
The core of a valentine puffer diet should be made up of small marine animals such as shrimp, krill, squid, and small fish.
These can be offered live, frozen, or freeze-dried. You should also supplement their diet with a good quality marine flake food as well as the occasional treat of brine shrimp or bloodworms.
As we touched on above, it is very important to chop up your valentine puffer’s food into small pieces. If you are offering them live or frozen food, make sure that the pieces are small enough for them to eat easily.
You should also try to offer them a variety of different foods as they can become quickly bored with eating the same thing all the time.
This is especially true if you only feed them marine flake food. Try to mix things up as much as possible and offer them a variety of different marine animals to keep them interested in their food.
How Frequently Should You Feed A Valentini Puffer Fish?
A good rule of thumb is to feed your valentine puffer 2-3 times per day, giving them only as much food as they can eat in three minutes and then remove any uneaten food.
This will help to keep the water quality in their tank high and stop them from getting overweight.
It is also a good idea to fast your valentine puffer fish one day per week. This will give their digestive system a chance to rest and will help to prevent them from becoming obese.
If you do decide to fast your valentine puffer, make sure to offer them a few small meals over the course of the day so they don’t become too hungry when you ease them into a consistent fasting diet.
Although most fish keepers fo agree that you should be trying to fast your pet Valentini Puffer fish now and then, it is controversial.
Some experts feel that it is natural for these fish to eat small meals throughout the day and fasting them may cause more harm than good. As with everything else, it is probably best to do your own research and make a decision based on what you feel is best for your fish.
What Can You Use As A Treat Food For Valentini Puffer Fish?
Shrimp are a favorite food of Valentini Puffer fish and make an excellent treat food. They can be offered live, frozen, or freeze-dried and most valentine puffers will really enjoy eating them.
Just make sure to remove any uneaten shrimp from the tank after feeding time as they will quickly decompose.
Decomposing shrimp in your Valentini Puffer tank can quickly cause problems with the water quality so it is definitely something that you want to avoid.
Another good treat food for valentine puffers is brine shrimp. These small shrimp are very nutritious and most valentine puffers seem to really enjoy eating them. They can be offered live, frozen, or freeze-dried and make a great occasional treat for your
