Mbu puffer care
Tetraodon mbu · Congo River and Lake Tanganyika
The mbu is the largest freshwater puffer, over 2 feet long as an adult, and needs a tank of 500 gallons or more on its own, with heavy filtration.
- Tank size
- 500 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone (one per tank)
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Adult size
- 26 in
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 5 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 20 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Demanding
Even a 210 gallon is too small
72½ × 24½ × 29⅝ in outsideHow to keep mbu puffers
The mbu is the largest freshwater puffer, over 2 feet long as an adult, and needs a tank of 500 gallons or more on its own, with heavy filtration. It is a lifetime commitment that very few home aquariums can house.
Diet: Carnivore: shellfish, snails, crayfish. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: All levels.
Mbu puffer tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own: they nip, bully or eat most tankmates.
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Cardinal tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Black neon tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Green neon tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Ember tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Glowlight tetra: Mbu puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a mbu puffer tank needs
A tank of 500 US gallons or more with a cover, and the equipment below.
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API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding mbu puffers.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common mbu puffer problems
- No standard aquarium is large enough for an adult; plan the tank before buying a juvenile.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Tetraodon mbu. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Mbu puffer Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fahaka puffer Earedien, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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