The Puffer Forum

RTR wrote:T. mbu is a large, active fish. It needs current and room. These fish, like any fish, need room, current and clean water to reach maximum size and lifespan. IMO, an over two-foot fish in a tank 8x3 or 8x4 would not look like it had room to "move" and grow. That tank would be 3.6 times the fish length, and 8" or 18" spare for a turn. Guess what? That is not, repeat not room to swim enough to have normal body configuration or any, repeat any, real exercise. NIMFT, not for any fish from a guppy to a T. mbu (the largest body mass fish I have kept). I would not keep even an overbred fancy Betta in a proportionally sized container. Nor would I ever suggest that anyone else do so. I do commonly use tanks or multitank sysytems which provide far more than minimum recommendations. Certainly you can house fish in smaller sizes than those suggested here. But I would never agree that those cpme anywhere near optimum accomodations. My aim is to keep my fish as well as I can for as long as I can. Your aims may be different. So far as I know, there is nothing anywhere on this site that that neither my word nor any other poster's word is law. It is a forum. Anyone can present their own ideas. If I disagree with your handling, you are under no obligation to change your techniques. If and when you can keep your fish longer and healthier than I can, I will be more than willing to try your technics. But if you say that smaller tanks are better for large fish than larger tanks, you are going to have a lot of convincing to do.

Biff Malawi wrote:I watch my 7" Fahaka swim around in it's 180g 6x2x2 tank and I think she looks great, lots of room to swim around and explore in the plants and caves.
I look ahead to her getting near her 18" maximum size and even though my tank is 60 gallons and 2 feet bigger than "minimum size" I die a little bit inside. I am getting her an 8x3x3 which I believe is the true minimum size for a messy fish of this size to live in for the next 20 years. You suggest that a Mbu at twice the size could live happily in the same tank? I don't see it. Would you keep a Jack Russel terrier in an 8x3x3 foot cage for 12 years. I believe that would be considered abuse.

Ok I'm done.

Iliveinazoo wrote:

Biff Malawi wrote:I watch my 7" Fahaka swim around in it's 180g 6x2x2 tank and I think she looks great, lots of room to swim around and explore in the plants and caves.
I look ahead to her getting near her 18" maximum size and even though my tank is 60 gallons and 2 feet bigger than "minimum size" I die a little bit inside. I am getting her an 8x3x3 which I believe is the true minimum size for a messy fish of this size to live in for the next 20 years. You suggest that a Mbu at twice the size could live happily in the same tank? I don't see it. Would you keep a Jack Russel terrier in an 8x3x3 foot cage for 12 years. I believe that would be considered abuse.

Ok I'm done.

Keeping a Jack Russell Terrier in a fish tank would also be cruel

Bret wrote:OK, at the risk of getting completely flamed.....
I have been keeping freshwater and saltwater fish for 20+ years. I currently have a 22" MBU living in a 7X3X2. He lives with 7 Severums, an 18" Mono Bass, 2 large flag tails, a giant gourami and a big clown knife. He is very active and very happy! He eats prawns from my hand as well as muscles and cockles in the shell. I have had him for about 18 months, got him when he was about 4". He is a very happy chappy, he wags his tail overtime he sees me and is very healthy! I do 50% water change every week and have 2 FX6 filters on the tank. ...so they can be kept in less than a 1000 gallon tank, they can be kept with other tank mates (although the Bass, Gourami, and the bigger Flagtial are moving out after christmas to provide more room in the tank) I absolutely love my MBU! Best fish I have ever had.