The Puffer Forum

Does anyone else think Dr Ebert's mbus grew very slowly and only attained a modest size in the times he states? Is this stunting or controlled growth through feeding?

Are you referring to his comments in the Aqualog where he talks of his mbu's reaching only 35cm.

yep

I still think that Mbus will not get much smaller than 2ft in aquaria, stunted or not.

If fed & housed properly, most fish will get larger in an aquarium than in the wild.

i agree with PP, my modestus is HUGE!!! my 29 gal. tank is barely big enough for him.

This has been shown repeatedly in several families of fish, but for some reason it is not widely known or accepted.

RTR wrote:...but for some reason it is not widely known or accepted.

Mostly because of numerous posts stating, "my fish lived for at least two years in a 10-gallon tank and he was always fine!" The poster usually forgets to mention that the fish would have lived 8 years in the wild and 10-15 in captivity given a larger tank and proper conditions.

I'm with you on this one RTR. I used to keep way too many fish in tanks that were much too small. I even kept a full grown Oscar in a 20 gallon tank for two years before he finally died of some mystery disease that I couldn't cure even though I threw the entire medicine cabinet at it. (Forgive me please. I was very young...) I now enjoy my tanks with fewer inhabitants and plenty of swimming room--but wishing I could provide even more.

I think that you are correct. That is one of my hot buttons. Folks just don't get the concept that captives should live longer than wild, get larger than wild, and be healthier than wild. If they don't, we are not doing it right.

Someday folks will learn, I hope, but I am not holding my breath.

I like to use the stray dog analogy. It's not exact, but it gets the point across.

Your family dog can have a life expectancy of 10-20 years depending on the breed and your level of care. The same dog out in the wild probably wouldn't make it to half that due to disease, harsh weather, or starvation.

Same thing for a fish. Under your protective care it can be free from all the things in the wild that would be working against it and cut it's life short.

The problem really seems to be that people consider fish to be furniture rather than pets. People figure that since you can't walk them, or pet them, or cuddle with them, so they aren't on the same level as cats, or dogs, or bunnies, etc.