Mbu puffer info?

[bluenoze85]

After doing quite a bit of research over the internet it seems that there is very little information available about this puffer.
I know all about the tank space they need but there are just a few little questions i would like answered if anyone can help?

the main question i have is how often to feed the puffer while it is a juvinile and how much to feed?

And is there any plec to control the algae that is capable of living with this puffer?

[Nick]

First, read the Sticky post about Mbu. I know you said you read up on tank size, but I'm still going to reiterate that it's not really an appropriate aquarium fish, and unless you have 1000 gallons (and preferably quite a bit more) available, which is probably more than you are led to believe it needs most places, you might want to consider a smaller puffer. The suggestions I've read that a 200 or 250 is "big enough" are definately incorrect, that would probably let a somewhat stunted 2 foot adult turn around, but thats it. It would be kind of like having a grown oscar in a 10 gallon. As for food, treat it like any other puffer of the same size - a one inch Mbu eats pretty much like a one inch GSP, or one inch figure 8. When under an inch, two feedings a day is probably ok, but as it grows, less and less frequently, when 1.5-3 inches daily, 3.5-6 inches daily with a couple days off a week, 6+ every other day, and probably 3 times a week after 9"+ would be good. Because stomach volume increases much more quickly than surface area when a fish gets bigger, larger puffers can fit much more food into them at a time relative to their size, so they need food less often if fed to "full." Like most active hunter puffers, it may tolerate a tank mate, but you never know for how long, and this fish gets crowded easily. Once it is very large, you could likely control algae with snails or fish too small for it to bother eating.