mbu questions

[bertie 83]

36" could be the largest seen I suppose but who knows. We did have a member here who lost a relatively young mbu due to a filter malfunction ( will see if I can find the thread) and if my memory serves me correctly it was appr 32". So big size is possible but not guaranteed.

[E78704]

There was a video I saw on youtube at one point of an Mbu that I could honestly put at around 30". The owner the video didn't specifically state that but it was (to date) the biggest Mbu I have seen. 32" would indeed be a whopper.

[Fahaka Fakka]

amazing storyline you've got there preparing for your MBU tank. Very inspiring:) ...and enjoy your fish.

how big is this one u think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pwIyRnf7vc

[E78704]

amazing storyline you've got there preparing for your MBU tank. Very inspiring:) ...and enjoy your fish.

how big is this one u think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pwIyRnf7vc

Thanks. I would guesstimate that Mbu in the high 20" range.

He/she looks underfed to me, by the way. In my opinion, the single biggest challenge to keeping Mbu in captivity is good diet, not water quality or tank size. You have to find a way to make whole crustaceans the principal part of their diet. Not "mostly crab legs or thawed prawns" and the occasional whole snail or crayfish, the other way around. Like most everyone else, I have seen pretty much every video or online image there is of an Mbu puffer and I would say that more often than not, wild adult Mbu look better to me than captive adult ones. Better body weight, more colorful, etc. I suspect that is because in the wild, they are foraging all day long and able to eat whole crabs, shrimp, clams, etc.

You can raise Mbu to adult size on an iffy diet but I'm talking about keeping one for years, which is the point at which I think the shaky diet catches up with them. It's like kids: A kid can grow up on McDonalds but once they hit a certain age, that diet just won't work any longer. I mentioned earlier that I keep snakes and in fact, I bred several species for 10+ years. One of the things I learned was that in order to do well in the long run, the snakes really needed to eat a whole rodent because a the "whole animal" is a nutritionally complete package. It has muscle, viscera, bones, skin, everything. They can surely get by on less, and I'm sure Mbu are the same way, but I feel like in order to really have them thrive and do/look their best, you have to figure out a way to make whole crustaceans the staple part of the diet. At least that is the conclusion I am coming to.

If anyone is curious, this is what a year's worth of Mbu food looks like...

[bertie 83]

Not sure on size but it's a gorgeous puffer

[E78704]

Not sure on size but it's a gorgeous puffer

Yeah, they're hard not to like. That's for sure.

[RTR]

IMHO, well cared for captive fish match or exceed wild-caught specimens in size. If they do not, they are stunted. To achieve maximum size and health, conditions - all of them: diet, water quality, tank size and current must be optimum. All fish slow down in growth rate as they mature. Maximum growth rates are pre-puberty, slowing markedly after sexual maturity, and being glacial beyond 8-10 years for the puffers (and Cichlids) I have kept. But they never really stop growing. Any negative factor - some of which we may well not fully understand, because so few captives are well-kept through their entire lifespan - can and will block maximum growth. In captivity we have the advantage in that we can maximize tank configuration and water quality and diet, again if the hobbyist cares to do so. The majority of hobbyists do not try. Large captive reared fish are a tiny fraction of the number marketed. That in some ways mimics the situation in the wild in the behemoths are rare. In the wild it is from competition and chance, while in captivity it is from lack of interest or ability or willingness to try, but chance factors still apply. The fact that captives can be maintained to full life span gives the an edge on terminal size that their wild kin stand less chance of achieving.

My t. mbu was riverine, special ordered from and importer of central African fish seasonally. The lake puffers were never seen in the trade back then (~25 years ago). The lake puffer could well support larger fish than the river fih, but I have not seen (or looked for) any data on that. Back when I got mine the largest wild-caught specimen in an academic collection was significantly smaller than the figures used today. I don't know if this reflects wild-captured fish in general, not just those in official collections, or just the hobby practice of usin total length rather than standard length. T. mbu does have a large caudal fin, but even at SL, the fish is massive for the hobby. Total specimen mass has a huge impact om tank carrying capacity, even if they all end up (or should end up) as single-specimen tanks. Without adequate exercise, no fish will develop and maintain normal configuration. I would never attempt to keep up that mass of fish in a 3 x 6' tank without automated or at least semi-automated daily water partials, even if the tank provide for adequate swimming space, which IMHO & IME it does not.

NIMFT

[E78704]

IMHO, well cared for captive fish match or exceed wild-caught specimens in size. If they do not, they are stunted.

That would all hinge on the fact that there is an empirical benchmark to which we could refer. We know how big Tilapia, trout, or salmon should be, since they have been commercially cultivated by the millions. Can you refer me to a study which has quantified how big an adult Mbu ought to be?

Any negative factor - some of which we may well not fully understand, because so few captives are well-kept through their entire lifespan - can and will block maximum growth.

No disagreement with that statement except if it is used as an argument to discourage someone from doing something or in an attempt to invalidate their findings, which means an opinion is being given weight over empirical observation.

..My t. mbu was riverine, special ordered from and importer of central African fish seasonally. The lake puffers were never seen in the trade back then (~25 years ago).

They still come from the rivers, rather than the lake. They get delivered with shipments Distochodus, Steatocranus, Mormyrids, and African knifefish, all riverine species.

I would never attempt to keep up that mass of fish in a 3 x 6' tank without automated or at least semi-automated daily water partials, even if the tank provide for adequate swimming space, which IMHO & IME it does not...

Are you saying that an Mbu, under the above circumstances, is doomed to early death?