Can Mbu puffer be pellet trained?

[RDFISHGUY]

Just got a mbu puffer but he is way too slow to get frozen food from my arowana and dat?
Can they be pellet trained?
I tried mussels and shrimp but my arowana pics them up before the puffer can get to them? Can't find crayfish in Red Deer , AB. I thought why not pellets? There is the obvious tooth issue, which may be resolved with cuddle bones? Going to try crab legs tonight. Trouble is my arowana took over a year to pellet train. I don't want to ruin that! My only other tank also has and arowana and a stingray. All eat pellets only. Dilemma???

 

[Fat Homer]

How big is the MBU? coz otherwise, maybe try feeding your MBU clams in FULL shell and let him crack it open himself so the other fish can't eat it?

Same with mussels, give it to him on the full shell, and maybe the rest of the preds won't get to it...

As for the pellets, i'm sure with enough patience they can be trained to take pellets...

 

[RDFISHGUY]

He's about 10 inches.
Crab won't work either! Stupid arowana won't leave it alone.

 

[slednex11]

hole the crab legs or lobster claws in your fingers (make sure it a long peice) and just keep shoeing away your arowana, till the MBU comes and chews on his food, my MBU loves Massivore!!

 

[Jenerik]

The only issue I could see with a pellet-type diet is that it might not provide enough abrasion to keep his teeth filed down. If that's the route you end up goingm I would definitely find a way to incorporate some whole mussels or other mullusc in the shell for your guy.

 

[Anderman]

On a pellet diet only you will be eventually pulling out the mbu to file it's teeth. When I had my mbu for a few years even the clam,mussel and oyster shell diet didn't keep his teeth wore down. I imagine a pellet only would lead to a quicker time when you would have to file those teeth down. This was one of the reasons I sold my Mbu as I don't have the time or patience to do things like file teeth. The other reason is the same as yours and that's Mbu's are too slow at getting to food in a tank full of faster fish. Not to mention the mbu can eventually get stressed from to much movement in the tank. Mine hated the ray tanks as they kept landing on him and pushing him out of the way to steal the food. My rays wouldn't even let the mbu get to his shells as the rays would jump on them and eventually open and eat the contents.

 

[RDFISHGUY]

I'll try massivore.

 

[RD.]

Mbu can be pellet trained, but as others have already stated they are a slow methodical fish and won't be able to compete at feeding time with the speed and aggression of your aro and dat. I suspect that all that feeding massivore is going to do is convert your dat to eating massivore. Let me know how it works out, Ryan.

 

[RobD23]

Just got a mbu puffer but he is way too slow to get frozen food from my arowana and dat?
Can they be pellet trained?
I tried mussels and shrimp but my arowana pics them up before the puffer can get to them? Can't find crayfish in Red Deer , AB. I thought why not pellets? There is the obvious tooth issue, which may be resolved with cuddle bones? Going to try crab legs tonight. Trouble is my arowana took over a year to pellet train. I don't want to ruin that! My only other tank also has and arowana and a stingray. All eat pellets only. Dilemma???

Crab legs is ur best bet. If he will take pellets it doesn't hurt to add that to his diet but ideally for both teeth and health reasons, prawns, mussels, clams, crabs and snails are best.

 

[PufferGhoti]

So you did not realize this when your are trying to house a probable 24inch+ african freshwater shellfish carnivore with specialized hunting habitats which is typically a primary specimen fish for a 500gallon+ tank ? I suggest you return it, I certainly do not see a dilemma but a lack of appropriate research. Is it an African arrowana its housed with ? Heterotis niloticus ? I doubt it.