Ideal tank dimensions for a Mbu?

[Fat Homer]

You have a very valid point about the importers, but i think it also depends a lot on distributors as well (since they put in their orders)... for example, in Hong Kong as far as i know there is only one distributor here that brings in MBU's and Fahakas regularly, and i also know that when a certain puffer doesn't sell in the shop (i.e. gets too large), they flog it off to one of the other shops on street level to sell in a plastic bag to people who have no idea what they are selling...

So the way i see it (at least for Hong Kong), is if that shop/distributor stopped getting in MBU's, then at least Hong Kong would have next to none for sale, which would save a lot of them suffering a slow death... Eitherway, i do agree its a double edge sword...

 

[Pufferpunk]

Better the fish in the stores now, suffer than them & the next one & the next one... Sad to say, I know.

 

[Clay]

Interesting point of view, PP. I'm not decided on whether or not to keep one. I have several different stocking list combinations that I've been considering.

 

[Fat Homer]

^ Have you ever considered a Fahaka??? i mean i know its obviously not as big as an MBU, or as gentle but still a very cool puffer...

 

[Pufferpunk]

Some recent comments by RTR on this subject (the author of the 1st link I posted):

I don't remember what I said earlier, but I would say that a 4' x 4' x 8' tank would be the absolute minimum tank size, a 4x4x10' tank better minimum, but 2x or 3x that an adequate permanent home for T. mbu.

Back when I was playing with the idea of getting another T. mbu, the planned tank was on the order of 4500 gallons. It would have been a Monaco style tank. Like what you plan it would also have been flow-through or partial/refil, with both options automated. The baseline would have been about 10% change per day (so less than you are planning), with the option of potentially doubling the exchange rate if needed. I have had pretty good results with 10% daily partials (exchanges need slightly higher rates), including breeding Oscars - one of the few fish messier than big puffers.

I shelved the whole idea due to the high initial capital investment and non-trivial operating costs, and the potential damage to the house's resale value. Removing the set-up would be almost as expensive as installing it.

 

[Clay]

^ Have you ever considered a Fahaka??? i mean i know its obviously not as big as an MBU, or as gentle but still a very cool puffer...

I've had fahakas before. I was actually trying to place the puffer as a centerpiece along with some smaller african cichlids. That wouldn't work well with a fahaka (probably not), but might do ok with a pustulatus if I could find one.

As far as RTR, you can certainly see my confusion on the subject, right? I've seen varying tank sizes from 400-450-800-1000-and now 4500. RTR mentions a tank no less than 400 (in one of the links I posted earlier), Li$a a 450 for hers, Mike (I think you know him as arapaimag) has his in an 800 (not his 52k not his 15k), the ever popular 1000g that everyone throws out (clearly an arbitrary number), and now a 4500.

I'm trying to demonstrate a point that opinion =/= fact. People are very content to present an uninformed opinion as their own and not have any empirical evidence to support it. I'm not blaming anyone, I'm trying to get people to exercise their brains and advance the hobby. There have been several instances of a blanket opinion touted as fact, and the poster couldn't even say why.

Now, should an mbu be in a 375g tank? Who knows? Should any fish be in a tank? The fact that we keep any fish in a closed environment and call it humane is somewhat inhumane if you get down to it. But that is the hobby we love, and this is the nature of the hobby.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Just a lil history on RTR. He has kept many mbus in his 50+ years of pufferkeeping. Do a search for Robert T Ricketts.

 

[Clay]

Just a lil history on RTR. He has kept many mbus in his 50+ years of pufferkeeping. Do a search for Robert T Ricketts.

I did and I know. I didn't attack him or his credentials. I asked him for his opinion as I value it concerning the subject matter.

 

[i pee in the sea]

I've recently seen a MBU in a tank that was less than 1 gallon (I kid you not) at the local fish store.

It was named 'One eyed puffer' because it was clearly missing an eye.
A week later I went back for a look they told me it was dead.

Why do I even go to this store? Because it's right next to a decent store. lol

I just feel bad that most people don't even know how big MBUs get,
I certainly wouldn't have known if it wasn't for forums like the puffer forum or this one.

If you have a 375G you will be fine for a long time,
who knows if you will end up keeping it for life? (Nothing personal to you, but people seem to get bored of their fish real quick)

 

[kevinfleming21]

There is a full grown, yes full grown Mbu in a 300 @ my LFS. Agreed that the width it too tight, but if the tank had the same length, height and you added to the width making it somewhere around 450-500 gallons...it seems to me that it would be fine. This has nothing to do with water quality or any of that, just stating size wise.