I GOT A MBU!!!!!!!

[appleblossom]

!!!!!!!!!!

My lfs managed to get hold of 3 mbu puffers, 2 of which he already had booked to go to some customers in London, so he said I was first on the list for the last one!!!!

I didnt even mention mbus to him, he just knows i cant resist puffers.

He got them in last night, and I went in to see him today and he was gorgeous!!!!

the very beginnings of whitespot, and he has been a bit chewed but had a nice fat belly from his bloodworm breakfast and is really active and curious, I couldnt say no!


So £40 later, I have my veryown mbu puffer. He is 3" long, and in a 15g tak far too small for him, but it will have to do for now...cross your fingers for me that he is ok in there till I can get him a proper home!


pictures coming soooon

 

[TorPeteO]

Sounds like exciting times, congratulations, I can't wait to see pictures. I got some new puffers last night, too, a couple of Dwarves. Man, are they fun fish.

 

[Clare]

Hi Appleblossom. Congratulations on getting your mbu. As you know, we have a mbu who is now just over 2ft long and i just wanted to offer you my opinion on compatability. Ours was brought up with other fish, now he lives with the Perrunichys Perruno and 4 Florida Gars and he loves them. He is soooooo happy to have someone to swim with other than the Perruno who basically lays and waits for food most of the day.
Each Mbu is individual in personality and i have known people say their mbu has savaged tank mates, however, if you bring yours up with other fish while he is young then he will probably end up enjoying company.
I think Hamish would be very unhappy in a tank alone now.
Obviously you would need to keep a close eye on him at first but i do believe that if a fish is kept with others from young then it will benefit long term. There is the odd exception of course!
Clare

 

[shawy]

This MBU by any chance is it from leicester aquatics

 

[appleblossom]

heh yeah it is shawy...psychic powers???


And I'm dead excited Claire!! His current tank is too small to add any companions for him but I picked the smallest, so hopefully the youngest of the three and as soon as he is in a bigger tank (asap) I will try him out with some other fish. Any recomendations other than those already mentioned?

 

[Clare]

Tankmates with Mbus vary. Large community fish which are non aggresive. You will obviously need a big tank eventually so if you can grow some from small with him. I have known tin foils and silver dollars to be kept with them. Other cats like Granulosis are nice and peaceful and also lay on the bottom a lot. Some fish to swim with would be nice though, Hamish lays with our catfish but he doesn`t find him much fun, basically because he waits for food most of the day rather than swimming around, making waves in the water for attention and hitting his teeth on the front of the tank to let us know he`s there like Hamish does!!!! Make sure your big tank has thick glass because these puffers do like to knock thier teeth on it!!!!!!

Don`t be put off by sites telling you these fish should only be kept alone, they are just covering themselves. Be careful of any fish which may directly compete for food. I know someone who put clown loaches with his and they accidentally were killed during feeding time.
That`s why our Gars are good, they eat fish ( whitebait) which Hamish hates. Also, fast moving fish which will eat all your puffers food before he gets a look in will leave him hungry and miserable.
I am really glad for you. Have you heard of a firm called `Boss`? they advertise in PFK magazine and are really cheap on custom made tanks. They quoted us £245 for a tank 7 x 3 x 2 with a filter and glass lids. They deliver too for £40 which is really cheap compared to most.
Good luck and if you need any help you can always pm me.
Clare

 

[Puffer_freak]

Congrats.
I WANT A MBU!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WANT A MBU NOW!!!!!!!!

 

[appleblossom]

yay!!

that is cheap Claire!! I'll definitely look them up

I've decided to call him Ender, because my boyfriend wouldnt let me call any future kids Ender with the explanation "he'll get called nob ender in school"

I'll get on the lookout for all the fish you mentioned and do some research while I wait for the funds to get a bigger tank (bringing my bedroom total up to 7...oops...)

He has happily munched on some whole cockle now, making the little sqeaky noise with his teeth while he bites chunks off, and he is a bit wary if you move suddenly in front of the tank, but if you are reasonably still, he comes over to see whats going on

 

[shawy]

I think you have seen me working there appleblossom

 

[ossypete]

congratulations on your mbu i have just recently got another after waiting nearly 12 months (. the first one i had , ( george ) grew to about 12 inches in a 7 ft tank . i have always kept puffers with otherfish and usually they seem to be fine , only had a puffer go for otherfish twice. Thefirst time was after the fish had not been fed for 4 days , i was away on a course and do not trust anyone to look after my fish except me .i fed the fish as normal and poor george got a little confused and went for a banjo i had in their ( well forgot about actually as it spent all its time under the sand) . the second was when he was hungry again , he bit a cory in half !. i feed my puffa usually every 2 days otherwise they get lazy and fat !. Unfortunately i lost george , woke up one morning and he was floating on the top i was a little sad really had him for nearly 2 years , i have heard of them eat thereselves to death especially if the food you feed is frozen when it goes in the tank. Our new addition , Wilson , is just over 3 inches and an active swimmer in the tank . The tank is a community set up and he lives happily with other fishes in there , tetras , plecs , general fish really. Try to feed them often but not over feed them , mine are fed every 2 days and not a great deal , so they are full but not bloated obviusly .after watching puffa behaviour i think , if they are well fed and not hungry they will not attack other tank mates. hope that bit of info helps oh and hello by the way , its my first post on here
P.S i feed whole cockle , mussel , prawns , also try to get those big prawns from the fish market with the shells on , george used to like shredding those wilson eats the same stuff , likes chewing on big lumps of blood worm too