Tetradon mbu

Common name: Giant Puffer / Mbu Puffer

The Mbu puffer is the largest of all the freshwater puffers growing to around 30".

It comes from Africa and is found in the Congo river and Lake Tanganyika, its back is a mixture of dark and lighter green patterns and a pale yellow belly.

The Mbu is not often found for sale and when they are the price can be very expensive, I have seen 2-3" specimens that range in price from £45.00 to £85.00, although by shopping around you can find some much cheaper, but you will have to be patient.

At a size of 2-3" the Mbu can be housed with community fish, and once settled will be an interesting and lively addition to any tank. However the Mbu is an aggressive feeder so extreme care must be taken during feeding time. In my experience the Mbu must be fed first, only when it is occupied feeding can you put in the food for the other tankmates. The reason for this is that the Mbu is always on the look out for food and as soon as any food is placed in the tank even if it is not for them, they will still join in the feeding frenzy, and this is where they can sometimes accidentally catch other fish, and with their biting prowess this can cause severe injury and sometimes fatalities should any fish come between them and a meal. I have only found this aggressive behaviour during feeding times, at all other times the Mbu even when 10" plus will happily share the tank with much smaller fish even when it is hungry and looking for food.

Once settled you will find that as they get to recognise their owners, they will swim to the front of the tank as you pass expecting to be given food, I feed my Mbu with cockle, mussel and occasionally earthworms, they must be fed some shellfish in their diet, and I use whole cockle to ensure that their beak is kept worn down.

I would recommend that once the Mbu reaches 12" that it should however be moved to a tank with a couple of larger fish, as its requirements would be easier to cater for.

To house a large Mbu I would recommend a tank at least 6' x 2' x 2', furnished with bogwood to provide some shelter, and for plants I use Onion plants potted in terracotta pots, as well as Anubias, Aponogetons and Java Fern. You will need large external canister filtration and the addition of an internal powerhead can assist with the water flow. The temperature should be kept at around 76-82°C.

Weekly water changes are a must, and I would suggest 10-20% depending on the size of the puffer its tankmates and the size of the tank.

The Mbu is a wonderful fish that can become tame and can be hand fed, however due to the size of this fish and its powerful beak, a bite can inflict serious damage, so care must always be taken either when feeding or doing routine maintenance in the tank.

The Mbu is not a beginner fish and should only be purchased if you are able to house a fish that grows to 30" and fully understand what its requirements are.

Note: I have read many stories stating that the Mbu should not be put in with any other fish as it will attack its tankmates. In my experience this has never happened with any of the Mbus I have kept.

I feel that this is a case is mistaken identity, as I have seen on several occasions shops selling a fish which is marked up as being a Mbu when in fact it is actually a Lineatus, this would then explain the highly aggressive nature of the fish.

I would highly recommend the following publications in order to identify puffers.

Aqualog: The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Waters. Dr Klaus Ebert. ISBN: 3-931702-60-X

Practical Fishkeeping: Pufferfish. Chris Ralph ISBN: 1-86054-233-6

© Graeme Franz. 2006. This fact sheet may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author