MBU puffer tank size

[emmynk]

Alright-- big question. Mbu puffers... who has one?
Our lovely Aquarium Co-op has a 5 year old one that lives with fish, is 24 inches, and lives in a 360 gallon aquarium. My boyfriend (who usually sticks to saltwater) saw one at my lfs, and we both fell in love. It's about 3 -4 inches long. He has a spare 90 gallon as a growout.. I've seen on sites that 500 gal is the minimum, but hank does wonderfully In a custom 360 gallon aquarium. What is your experience with this species?
i'm not jumping into this without adequate research, or without being SURE that he can make a commitment to a proper sized tank.

I currently keep a dwarf puffer and an avocado puffer.
Second question, if he cannot commit to a huge aquarium, is there any interesting puffer species that could growout in a 90 gallon and live in that size, or maybe up to a 150 gallon? Was thinking fahaka. I loved the idea of the mbu because of the idea he could live with other fish like hank does.

Thanks!

 

[Bob]

I have been hoping a harry puffer Tetraodon baileyi shows up somewhere. They are my favorite, have a 40 gallon breeder just sitting and waiting for one.

 

[DMD123]

I ordered my hairy puffer from Wet Spot in Portland and he has been quite an interesting character. You can see him in the fishbox banner all puffed up.

There are many nice choices in puffers that are lurkers like the Congo, hairy, arrowhead, or humpback. These are good starter puffers in the sense that they dont get too big and do not usually have teeth issues.

 

[Bob]

I ordered my hairy puffer from Wet Spot in Portland

Yea, i have been watching their fish list for awhile now. Once they show up, ill be all over it. Do you keep any other species with your puffer?

 

[Cory]

I think the bigger part is, can you afford to feed it? $5 a day to feed a mbu is common. Also don't let yourself be one of the people who has their mbu die early from overgrowth teeth or improper diet of frozen shrimp only. Most people fail out of lazyness/affordability.

For aquarium size for reference, when Hank's first store tank broke, he lived in a 75 gallon tank. Was fed once a week and still required 75% water changes daily to keep up with the load he was producing.

I'd say a 90 gallon would be fine at first, with upgrading to a 180g year 2-3, then something much larger after that. This is all assuming you're going to do massive water changes. I feel most people will underestimate the amount of water changes need for such a fish plus other inhabitants.

The best way I can put it into perspective for people is, Hank is the size of a small dog. His poop is the same size. Now imagine that is going on in your tank. So imagine your bathtub having to be where a dog goes to the bathroom each time. it'll take a long of water to flush that away each day.

At the beginning once you get past the deworming stages, it'll be easy. It's just a big commitment. I'd say it's more than a dog or at for sure.

 

[DMD123]

I ordered my hairy puffer from Wet Spot in Portland

Yea, i have been watching their fish list for awhile now. Once they show up, ill be all over it. Do you keep any other species with your puffer?

Solo, they dont play well with others.

 

[emmynk]

I think the bigger part is, can you afford to feed it? $5 a day to feed a mbu is common. Also don't let yourself be one of the people who has their mbu die early from overgrowth teeth or improper diet of frozen shrimp only. Most people fail out of lazyness/affordability.

For aquarium size for reference, when Hank's first store tank broke, he lived in a 75 gallon tank. Was fed once a week and still required 75% water changes daily to keep up with the load he was producing.

I'd say a 90 gallon would be fine at first, with upgrading to a 180g year 2-3, then something much larger after that. This is all assuming you're going to do massive water changes. I feel most people will underestimate the amount of water changes need for such a fish plus other inhabitants.

The best way I can put it into perspective for people is, Hank is the size of a small dog. His poop is the same size. Now imagine that is going on in your tank. So imagine your bathtub having to be where a dog goes to the bathroom each time. it'll take a long of water to flush that away each day.

At the beginning once you get past the deworming stages, it'll be easy. It's just a big commitment. I'd say it's more than a dog or at for sure.

I forgot to thank you for this response. I definitely understand it's a huge responsibility. I'm dreaming of a tang biotope tank.... 800+ gallons. When I have a house and a substantial amount of money. Which may be never... a girl can dream though!