What's a good tank size/dimensions for the final tank? I've been scanning the 300+ tanks available and I'm wondering if a tank with lower gallons but better width might be the best way to go. Something like a 48 x 48 x 25 Tall. Sounds a little small to me but I'm not seeing a lot of great options for turning space.
Mbu Tank
- Thread starter Aribenlaw
- Start date
Width awesome but the length needs to be better when the MBU is fully grown. Mine is going in an 8 x 4 foot tank when bigger. At the moment one is about 6" with the larger one about 11". Smaller one is fine with other fish while the bigger one will take anything it can catch.
Pufferpunk;1344198; said:
Pufferpunk;1344198; said:
I've seen you post on this before. I know you're strongly against people getting Mbus but this doesn't address my question. I've seen estimates from 200 to 1000 gallons for one of these fish and I'm trying to find the truth of the matter. Plenty of people have 2' fish in tanks smaller than 1000 gallons so I find it hard to believe that a minimum. My question is, realistically, what size tank does this fish need. Posts like yours make it seem like this fish is impossible to keep without a small lake, which would be lovely, but I have to think somewhere around 400 gallons is closer to correct. Is there anyone here who can give me an honest estimate? I guess I'm feeling a little testy because the purpose of links like those above seem intended to scold someone for thinking about getting a Mbu. I have one. I've had him for a year now and he is priceless to me. Will he need a larger tank than I was originally told? Yes. The purpose of this thread was to find an accurate gauge of what I need. I'm endeavoring to find a solution. Scare tactics don't help me here.Pufferpunk;1344198; said:
LMAO... I saw the thread but was allready beaten to the "scolding"
1 million gallons ah ha ha.
I'm in the same boat with my Armatus.
I say 4 by 8 footprint. Why? cause it's a magical combination....otherwise wood wouldn't come in 4 by 8 sheets.
People live in prison cells MBUs can live in a 4 by 8. Would 4 by 12 be better.....sure but exactly where do you draw the line? I'm drawing mine in lumber dimensions......therefore I'm sticking to 4 by 8.
I'm sporting my flame retardent suit now so don't hold back.
1 million gallons ah ha ha.
I'm in the same boat with my Armatus.
I say 4 by 8 footprint. Why? cause it's a magical combination....otherwise wood wouldn't come in 4 by 8 sheets.
People live in prison cells MBUs can live in a 4 by 8. Would 4 by 12 be better.....sure but exactly where do you draw the line? I'm drawing mine in lumber dimensions......therefore I'm sticking to 4 by 8.
I'm sporting my flame retardent suit now so don't hold back.
1st of all, I didn't write either of those articles. They were written by previous mbu keepers, the 1st author has 50 years of pufferkeeping experience behind him. This was his wish for his next mbu:
"Unless you have the space, the time, and the price of luxury car to put into a fish, they are just not suited to private keeping. If I could and was willing to do it over, I'd devote the entire tank room to the one fish. It would house only the single tank, Monaco style, custom built in place, with customed filters and automated changes."
"They are just too big. His system was the 180 with him, a 120 veggie filter, two 40-gallon veggie filters, a 20-gallon Daphnia filter, a 20-long filter-feeding shrimp filter after the daphnia tank, plus a twin-tower W/D, two large Eheim external canisters and multiple internal Eheims, and 2- or 3- 50 gallon partials per week (alternating weeks). "
All this filtration & the 1,000g tank size is to dilute the huge amount of waste this fish produces, not necessarily just to give the fish swimming room.
"Unless you have the space, the time, and the price of luxury car to put into a fish, they are just not suited to private keeping. If I could and was willing to do it over, I'd devote the entire tank room to the one fish. It would house only the single tank, Monaco style, custom built in place, with customed filters and automated changes."
"They are just too big. His system was the 180 with him, a 120 veggie filter, two 40-gallon veggie filters, a 20-gallon Daphnia filter, a 20-long filter-feeding shrimp filter after the daphnia tank, plus a twin-tower W/D, two large Eheim external canisters and multiple internal Eheims, and 2- or 3- 50 gallon partials per week (alternating weeks). "
All this filtration & the 1,000g tank size is to dilute the huge amount of waste this fish produces, not necessarily just to give the fish swimming room.
DB junkie;1344752; said:
DB junkie;1344752; said:
I guess I view all hobby fish as living in a cell when it comes down to it. It's a bit of a paradox in fishkeeping. Even our best efforts fall insurmountably short of a natural home. Of course food and predators aren't issues when kept so I'm not sure how karma balances that one out. I'm looking for healthy, pain-free, and content. If I can achieve those for my fish than I feel ok about keeping them. 4x8 sounds like it would hit those marks. I was trying to figure out which commercially available tanks had dimensions that would satisfy. I hope your suit is comfy, no flame coming from me.
