Little MBU Don't do much swimming!!

[matt748]

Hi i have recently aquired a 3.5 inch Mbu Puffer. I did have him in a 4 foot tank to start with but i was concerned that my large oscar might pick on him ans she does with all my other fish. So i have moved him into a small 100 litre tank with loads of extra filtration, alone for a while until he gets a little bigger. Since i got him though (a week ago) he is pretty much stuck to the substrate and not moving much. He has fed but not much.
Am i worried for no reason?
Will he get used to things and begin to liven up?
Should i have left him in the larger tank to take his chances???
Is he just settling in to his new surroundings???
If i leave him alone for a while will he relax into life with me????

Any help is apreciated.

[clareanded]

Even at 3.5" your Mbu needs a much much bigger tank. I'm afraid that the fact is your 4ft tank is too small so 100 litres is tiny. The lack of space is the major factor as to why your Mbu is inactive. You have also only just purchased him so will need to settle in and get familar with the surroundings which also plays a part.

How did the mbu behave in the 4ft tank? The same or more lively? Is there anyway you can move the Oscar so that your puffer can live in the 4ft tank while you quickly source and cycle a much larger aquarium?

Ed

[Pufferpunk]

Moved to Hospital Forum. I agreee with clareanded. Please answer all the Qs above in red.

[puffertt77]

Hey Matt

I asked pretty much all the same questions you have here when I first got Naboo my Mbu. He didn't move much at all, sat in the same place a lot and would also hide quite a lot. Didn't eat much either and would totally ignore the food if I held it in front of him. He was also very pale. I was worried because although in the LFS he'd been in a tiny 1ftx1ft, he was really lively and friendly.

It takes them a while to settle into their new tank/surroundings, moving him from one tank to the other will have probably put him right back at the start of settling in.

I can garranty you within 1 week or 2 he'll be exploring his new tank and greeting you at the glass. Feeding times are great with Naboo although his started to take a liking to my fingers!

Naboo's 4inches at the moment and he's in a 67G. I'm thinking of temperally getting a 6ftx2ftx2ft 180g tank for him as I've recently found out from FlashDan (Flashdan has 2 Mbu's, a 10inch and a 18inch by the way ) that a Mbu should be ok in that size tank until he's around 14inches, so something to think about if you're gona get a new tank at some point.

Hope that helps

[matt748]

Thank you very much Puffertt77. It's really nice to have some reassurance that my mbu will be ok. I have moved him from the smaller tank and will see how he goes with my other fish in the larger tank again. I am on the case for a larger tank still but will need to give him a spell in one of my 4 foots for a while till he gets bigger. I am learning every day about these fish and am enjoying the whole process.
Matt

[puffertt77]

Thank you very much Puffertt77. It's really nice to have some reassurance that my mbu will be ok. I have moved him from the smaller tank and will see how he goes with my other fish in the larger tank again. I am on the case for a larger tank still but will need to give him a spell in one of my 4 foots for a while till he gets bigger. I am learning every day about these fish and am enjoying the whole process.
Matt

No worries Mate

Let us know how he goes over the next 2 weeks

Have you got any pix of him?

[flash.dan]

i wouldnt worry about having him with other fish i kept cutie pie with large cichlids inc jags when she was tiny with nio problems cichlids usually tend to squabble amongst themselves only. also with most pets they take a good while to settle down. one other thing with mbus when they get older they will get lazy my two dont move from one day to the next. I have been trying to starve cutiepie to actually beg for food again but she knows after 2-3 days ill give her food anyway so she waits just watching me. seems lately she only moves to get food. bubz is a little better than her and activly follows me but again hes so so so so lazy. i would just enjoy him day in day out and youll see changes in personality / behaviour all the time amazing fish to keep.

[matt748]

I have noticed that since my little mbu has gone back into the larger tank with the other fish that he has begun to do better, however i have now noticed that the puffer has some small white spots on it. None of my other fish in this tank have any white spots.
I have read that this may not be ich and that puffers can live quite happily with the white spots until the disapear eventually.
I have added some general tonic to the tank to see how that goes.
The tank in question is a 4x2x2 bow shaped tank with a 9 inch ocsar 4 silver dollars 2 clown loach and a geophagus.
All the water parameters seem fine and are all reading normal.
Could this all be part ot he settling process?

[flash.dan]

be careful with the white spots bubba has only ever had these once but cutiepie is prone to them as she likes to hide in the sand. they look completly different from normal white spot generally sticking to the back usually only one or two rise up at any one time and are always raised they look extremly similar to coliflower disease instead of white spots and rightly are fairly common in mbus. just pay close attention to them to ensure its not normal ich / coliflower disease

[matt748]

Thanks flash dan, i think you maybe right that it is not ich. But i am not familiar with any other diseases of these types.
You have said to keep an eye on it but do you know if there is anything i could or should do. I shall google cauliflower disease now and see what i can find out.
Your advice is helpfull but any ideas where i should go from here???

[matt748]

These are some close up pics of the little white things we have been discussing.

[Myaj]

That would be ich.

Probably due to the stress of being moved and kept in what I personally consider a very overstocked tank. You never answered the questions in red, test results especially.. puffers can not handle high nitrates and poor water quality.

There's an article in the library on how to treat ich, dont' use medications as puffers don't do well with them (no scales), and be sure to treat for the entire 28 day life cycle.

[flash.dan]

yep that is ich. Mbus are prone to getting white lumps like spots but they are few and far between and far more pronounced than ich. and coliflower disease unfortunatly there are no cures known although most fish gain a natural resistance to it and pull through. normal ich treatment im afraid high temp and some tonic salts to start before you try some abrashive treatments. I usually try natural treatments instead of chemicals.

good luck

[matt748]

Ok Thought i give some you who were interested an update. The temps are up to 86 and the aquarium salt is in the tank. I am doing water changes of around 40 - 50% every other day and am also syphon cleaning the substrate when i do the changes.
The Mbu is doing well in the larger tank now as my large Oscar and the others in the tank leave him well alone. He is now swimming and feeding like a little piglet.
The ich is still apearent in the tank although i have only seen white spot on the Mbu but the other fish have shown symptoms all be it not many (Rubbing and lathargy etc).
I will be continuing the high temps and the salt treatment until all signs of ich have gone and will post another update soon.
If i have missed anything, please do point it out.

[edmlfc1]

Continue the treatment for at least 28 days. This will insure that the ich will not return. Glad to hear he's doing better.