MBU PUFFER

[Pufferpunk]

After it comes out in print, sell it again to WetWebMedia's online mag.

[manutius]

yeah I had a contact with Bob Fenner over there last year. He told me to get in with the mags first Ishall be contactiung him at some point. Do you think you could send me the contact details of some of the mags you have submitted work to PP? Thanks

[Hilly]

Either option would be harmful. Or am I wrong?

And I can settle this dispute. Don't get an Mbu unless you have a huge fw tank that you can keep it in, and care for it responsibly. Don't make an impulse buy, or a compassion buy. They are too big of fish to be kept in regular aquariums. So, unless you are a responsible, expert fish keeper, don't buy one. End of story.

You could say the same about your Fire Eel though, 4 ft in the wild and almost 2ft in captivity. If an Mbu got between 18-24" in captivity then there isn't much of a problem. An 18" Mbu is no different in care to an 18" Fahaka and no one bats an eyelid at one being kept in a 120 gallon tank.. Tanks are readily available to take fish this size, it just requires some financial investment.
Not every individual Mbu is going to hit 30" just like Fahakas dont all max out.
Only truly massive specimens are going to cause issues in terms of width of tanks which is where the cost comes in and at that point an indoor pond is going to be a much cheaper option.

[Pufferpunk]

There isn't any reason, if housed & fed properly, a captive fish shouldn't reach it's wild size or larger.

[Hilly]

But who is to say what size the fish you have bought was going to reach in the wild before you put him in a fish tank and gave him good water parameters and fed him a varied diet and he grew to what he grew to. Be it smaller than a wild size or bigger. You cant say every fish you ever buy should exceed the size it does in the wild. Their genetics define their size, granted they can be stunted by bad husbandry and water conditions but if they are in check what fish you have is probably what fish you have is a good estimation of what he may have become in the wild if he wasnt killed before attaining that size.

[Pufferpunk]

True, there are different sizes in everybody. But we should at least give it the chance to acheive the size it's destined to grow.

[Hilly]

But my point is how can you say it is not the size it would grow to. It cannot be proved one way or another for definite. You could shove a Fahaka in a 500 gallon tank and only end up with a 13" individual, and a Fahaka in a 120 gallon reaching 17". So neither are stunted they have both been given the opportunity to grow to what they should be.

[Myaj]

But it has a better chance to grow to its full potential if it has more room and better water quality.. plus IMO, its just nicer for the fish to have more swimming room and things to explore. I mean, if we're going to pull them out of the wild and throw them in a tank, the least we can do is use what funds and knowledge we have to give them the best life we can afford/know how to.

I mean, sure, I can survive on a diet of hot dogs.. but I'd probably be heathier if I grew up eating a balanced diet. Or exercise.. I can survive by laying in a bed or sitting on my butt all day, but by getting up and moving around, I'm healthier. IMO, the same applies to a fish in a tank.. larger tanks mean better water quality (considering equal water changes), more room to move and exercise and stimulate the brain...

[Hilly]

Better chance agreed, but its not a guaranteed that it will grow huge that was the point I was getting at.

Larger tank doesnt always mean better water quality it just means you have more of a buffer, you can go longer without the water becoming polluted to the point where it is bad for the fish.

[staindsk1n]

also a point i'd like to make is that my mbu puffer is in a tank on his own, he always has been. I surely have a better chance of keeping nitrates down if there is just one fish,and he also does not have anything bothering him at all.
Also the reason i asked about r.o. water with added mineral is that if like marine, my r.o. water has a tds of 0 ( have a 6 stage ) then i am not adding any nitrates, phosphates etc so my water quality theoretically should be so much better than even a good quality tap water?? and like i say if my tap water has tds of 370 approx its really not that great is it!!

[Pufferpunk]

RO is fine to use, as long as you reconsitiute it. Sounds like a huge PITA though, to store enough of that for large WC.

[staindsk1n]

lets be honest...when you get involved in fishkeeping, pretty much everything is a P.I.T.A.!!!
im sure id find a way round it....i always do, i just think my water will be lots better for him. I mcurrently running uv's, phosphate reactors, carbon etc etc for the little guy but if i can make things better still.....then i shall

[groovitudedude]

Yes, but I'd rather not take the chance of getting an Mbu for my tank. Besides, stunted growth and not enough room is usually a bad thing. I should give an Mbu a chance to grow and thrive, which is something I simply cannot do. Which is why I don't keep one

[Umbrella]

From what I have seen with my own eyes, the bigger the puffer the messier they are. If I had a Mbu Puffer it would be in no less than 5k G . And good luck with getting one so big hehe. They are just too big. (period)

I can almost guarantee (without actually going and looking ) that there are Mbu's in the waters that they come from that are over 3ft in length. A great deal of the fish in those waters are HUGE. People in the Aquarium fish trade business just would NOT pluck them for shipping. It would be like shipping a car that can die. Not fun.

[groovitudedude]

Yeah, totally.

BTW, does anybody here have any fish that they caught wild and now have it in one of their tanks?