mbu and plants

[john C]

new to the puffer world so here we go looking to get a 5" from a friend on here i have a 180 for him to grow in. I really want plants do to the size of this fish idk how much how little nice peice of driftwood what are good plants to buy do the uproot ect.
thanks

 

[Jenerik]

Might work while he is smaller but as he gets bigger and bigger, you will have a harder time finding any live plants that will survive in there with him.

Also, is the 180G to be his permanent home?

 

[cl0wn knife]

from my experience plants just dont last long.

 

[Aether.Ed]

Go for tough plants you can attach to rocks and wood pieces so they cant be uprooted. Java fern and anubias would be ideal. However i have a baby mbu and hes fine with the vallis grass, cant say what they're like when they get bigger tho, mines around 6inches.

 

[john C]

got the puffer doing good thx for advice looks like plants can be iffy have to work on something mean while there is a very large peice of driftwood for him.what decor do u guys like?

 

[Jenerik]

The issue will be two-fold as he gets older.

1.) Big Mbu are like a bull in a china shop when it comes to tank deco. They will knock over rock piles by accident, crush bunch plants as they brush past them with their tails, and uproot planted plants while "poofing" around for food in the gravel. They are not destructive in the same way that some cichlids can be but rather, think of a toddler child in a room full of fragile stuff. It's just a matter of time. All the rockwork in my tank is glued in place with polyurethane foam, to keep him from knocking any of it over and crushing my other fish.

2.) The sheer volume of turds Mbu generate means that you are always having to siphon out particles of crawfish, snail shell, etc. from the tank floor and the more "naturalistic" the tank is, the harder it will be to keep clean.

You can get away with a lot when Mbu are small but that will all change as they get older. A minimal setup works best IMO....

Best of luck with yours.

 

[john C]

wow thanks for the advice cant wait till mine gets bigger sounds like my rays not much i can put in there tank i love the pants on top of the tank very nice