Most Mbu puffers are usually bought fairly small from a store. The dietary needs of this growing puffer will change as it grows older and larger. Understanding the needs of this special puffer can help you provide a long and healthy life for the Mbu.
Feeding Puffers Commercial Fish Food
You should not expect any puffer to eat commercially prepared fish food that you feed to other fish. These fish are wild caught, and because of this, they are used to hunting down their food. Thus, they are accustomed to eating only that food which they would find in the wild. They will not recognize that a commercially prepared fish food is actually edible, and will likely starve to death without additional foods available.
Feeding a Young Mbu Puffer
When the puffer is less six inches long, you can feed him on a daily basis. When the puffer is this small, he should be fed a variety of foods such as mysis shrimp, blackworms, bloodworms, crickets, krill, ghost shrimp and snails. These snails are easy to breed in a small aquarium, and most pet stores will allow you to have a small bag of snails for free from their tanks.
Feeding Larger Mbu Puffers
As the puffer grows past six inches and especially past 12 inches, you should space the feedings to every other day. Eventually you will be able to feed the puffer just a few times each week to prevent overeating. As the Mbu grows, his menu can expand to include uncooked shell on shrimp, mussels, clams, crayfish, and crab legs.
Avoid feeding feeder fish to the Mbu puffer. The feeders are frequently unhealthy and are not a normal part of the puffer fish’s diet in the wild. Long term feeding of feeder fish can negatively impact the overall health of the beautiful Mbu puffers.
Providing Crunchy Food for Puffers
You must be vigilant about providing these puffers with crunchy food on a regular basis. Their teeth never stop growing to compensate for the continual grinding on crunchy food in the wild, so if they cannot wear them down with food you provide, the teeth will overgrow. This will cause the puffer to be unable to eat and will require you to perform puffer dentistry, an activity that is not fun for you or the puffer.
When deciding to purchase a Mbu puffer fish, considering the tank size is only part of the thought process. Providing a proper puffer diet that grows and expands with the growth of the puffer is just as important. Understanding the changing needs of these puffers will allow you to provide a healthy, happy home for these giant puffers.
Information provided by Damien Wagaman, December 23, 2008.
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