Mbu Lifespan

[capester]

Hi guys, I have been thinking of getting a Mbu for a long, long time now but never taken the plunge due to tank constraints etc. However, I now have the chance of getting my filthy mitts on a large 20" plus which is estimated at 5 years old (fast growing!). Obviously this is a big commitment and requires much thought- I am having a fish house in the next month or so and am looking into the possibility of having a pond in there so space should be ok. Anyhow, I am worried that I will go to all of this trouble and have the big guy pop his cloggs in the next few years due to old age. Reading around I have seen estimates of 10-15 years, I have catfish that are older than that and in general terms I thought that the bigger the fish the longer they live?! Any insight on this? Cheers

 

[trampas]

Hi guys, I have been thinking of getting a Mbu for a long, long time now but never taken the plunge due to tank constraints etc. However, I now have the chance of getting my filthy mitts on a large 20" plus which is estimated at 5 years old (fast growing!). Obviously this is a big commitment and requires much thought- I am having a fish house in the next month or so and am looking into the possibility of having a pond in there so space should be ok. Anyhow, I am worried that I will go to all of this trouble and have the big guy pop his cloggs in the next few years due to old age. Reading around I have seen estimates of 10-15 years, I have catfish that are older than that and in general terms I thought that the bigger the fish the longer they live?! Any insight on this? Cheers

Difficult decision eh , a lovely fish and definately worthy of the consideration , 10+ yrs is the estimated lifespan however the majority of information regarding these fish come`s from other keeper`s sharing their experience`s so the more the better .
The biggest problem will be the capture and transportation of this specimin , it`s undoubtably gonna puff when caught and possibly again in transport and during acclimatisation in the new tank/pond this will put untold stress on the fish ( also I can`t recall if this fish has body spike`s when puffed , which would be a transporter container issue ) don`t forget that beak , you are obviously used to these issue`s having big and old cat`s .
Re your fish house pond , as I said in my newbie announcement I had 3 large heated covered pool`s along side my shed , I could only maintain heat to accomodate the big cat`s ( it cost just over £5k a year heating bill ) , please bear in mind that unless you have a glass panel viewing from above does somewhat deminish the pleasure and observation of the fish .
Having said all this , if you feel competent enough and plan it properly I would say go for it and help increase the forum knowledge and your experience of the Mbu and no doubt gain yourself many year`s of pleasure from the fish .
One final thing please remember not to try and make it eat too soon , offer food each day and it will feed in it`s own time when it is happy and comfortable in it`s new surrounding`s , a good way to expidite this is to cover his tank/pool for the first 24 hour`s as it will settle better in the dark and uncover it slowly (over a couple of hour`s ) as the sudden light will startle and upset it again .
Good luck with your venture and keep us up to speed with your progress and perhap`s a photo or 2.