mbu puffer - not doing well

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Is there anything we can do to help them?

Short of buying them. probably not.

[Ellen]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Did you ask about it?

Ellen

[gt3guru]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

i can't bring myself to talk to those people. They lie like a dog. maybe i'll go back tomorrow.

[PAPERGUY]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Hello, My mbu puffer is close to the size of yours, a healthy weight. I saw one this weekend at Ultimate Fish on 2920 and it looked like the one in your first video, probably worse. I could it's bones sticking out.It makes me sick!
They are such great fish. I hate to see any thing that it looks like its suffering. To me it looks as it's not being fed properly. I'm like you, what can be done short of buying it yourself to care for, but I have one of my own and that is a big commitment for a fish like this. Are you saying that they want $700 for this fish? Thats nuts!

[gt3guru]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

I know! how anyone could look at that fish and spend a dollar for anything but pity I don't understand.

My puffer is a PIG. when i open the door after work he's up at the surface trying to Push the tank closer to the fridge!  He's like a puppy.

I feel bad cause i don't have any decorations in the tank. i was plannin on having discus in there and wanted it bear bottom. Now he looks bored.

I found a place on ebay selling cheap fake plants. but i need gravel and a good rock/cave. How do you decorate your MBU tank

[PAPERGUY]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Well mine definitely greets me when I come home from work, they love their food! Right now he is in my 90gal with my angels but next week I am getting a 220gal. I have rock caves for my synodontis and he likes it in there after he's had his dinner. I have bogwood and artificial plants and one large live plant. He tends to stick to the side with the bogwood and rock caves.

[Ellen]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

hmmmm, sneak him some food?

Ellen

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Mbu dont always adapt easily to captive conditions. Ive seen many that come in appearing healthy but never begin to feed on the foods we offer. I notice this especially with smaller (4"-5" and under) Mbus. So just b/c you see a skinny puffer dont be too quick to assume its being under cared for.

However as far as Fish R Us is concerned, I know they dont take especially good care of their fish since Ive seen many mismatched and dead, sick, underfed or dieing fish in their tanks.

[Mzungu]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

You know, a lot of saltwater people ask to have the fish fed so they can watch and make sure it is eating before they buy it...Maybe you could say you're interested and want to see if it's eating? If so, then I'd ask more about it, like Ellen suggested.

[ApocalypticToast]

Re: mbu puffer - not doing well

Sorry to break it to you guys who have mbu's, but they honestly shouldn't be kept in anything much smaller than a 1000 gallon tank. They max out around 3 feet long. They need alot of room for swimming and alot of room for turning or they can develop problems with their tails. They also drop a pretty huge bioload. For as often as mbu are sold, they have quite pricey accomodations.

On the topic of "the fish grows to the size of the tank" I think its a load of bull. Sure the fish will stop visibly growing, but their inner organs can still keep growing. Stunting is something that should always be avoided. If you can't house a fish correctly then there is no need to buy it. Of course, sometimes its unavoidable due to lack of information available and jerky LFS employee's that never tell you anything.