Valentini Puffer

The Valentini Puffer, also known as the Saddled Toby, is a small and charismatic pufferfish that has become enormously popular in the marine aquarium hobby. Its compact body displays a distinctive pattern of dark brown to black saddle markings over a white to cream base, accented with orange-brown spots on the lower body and blue-green line markings on the face. Like all pufferfish, it can inflate its body when stressed or threatened.

This species is one of the smaller pufferfish available, making it suitable for moderately sized aquariums. It is intelligent, curious, and quickly develops a personable relationship with its keeper, often begging for food at the glass. The Valentini Puffer is hardy and readily accepts a wide variety of foods, including frozen and prepared offerings.

Despite its charm, the Valentini Puffer is not reef-safe and will nip at corals, clam mantles, fan worms, and various invertebrates. Its beak-like fused teeth are designed for crushing hard-shelled prey, and it should be offered hard foods regularly to prevent overgrowth. Best suited for fish-only setups or very carefully managed reef tanks where the owner accepts some risk. It can be semi-aggressive toward slow-moving or long-finned tankmates.