I have just finished reading this thread and I just want to make one main point. First off though, I want to say that I have never owned a MBU and never will because, I am one of those people that follow RTR's thought that this is a puffer that doesn't belong in the trade.
The one thing I will say about this thread is that I find it funny that people find it perfectly okay to stuff a puffer that has the potential to grow to about three feet in length into a 200-400 gallon tank and use the argument that the fish can turn and use their own subjective definition of "happy" when other pets such as dogs aren't subjected to the same space limits as a fish is. What I mean by that is a dog isn't kept in a small cage where he can only turn around and walk a few feet before bumping into the pen, dogs are allowed many times their size in total area that they are allowed. Space that is usually the backyard/or house, the yard, dog parks, walks and if the dog doesn't get this he gets unhappy.
Well a mbu is a puffer which comes from a giant river and because it is a apex predator for it's environment they claim large amounts of area many times greater then their size because in nature a large predator such as a mbu needs all that area to be able to find enough food to not starve. Well you take that puffer who is use to huge amounts of space and stuff it into a tank where it can only swim a few feet, do you really think it'll be happy? This is part of the reason why this puffer needs such a large tank because evolution has evolved it to.
Hmm... just some open discussion.
Dogs are domesticated and in a true sense, if you compare wild dogs to wild MBU you are wrong in your statement. I have known many domesticated dogs that would rather not leave their bed and only walk far enough to eat and take care of business and then back to that bed. I thin this one is a really bad analogy.
To humor your statement though... since dogs have been domesticated to require less than that of a wild dog, eat dry staple instead of raw, pee and poop in a given spot by it's commander and do tricks wouldn't the MBU, over a given length of time, become domesticated and accept life in the confines of which a "master" has given it and live happily in captivity?
Now, for the "river giant" in the wild they have to cover large areas due to the LACK of food and not cause of territory. If there was a pile of replenishing food in a single confined area I would like to see a WILD animal migrate else where. So in your statement that how can they be happy in the amount of space we give has nothing to do with your other statement about finding food as it is very contradicting.
In the wild if there was a single location in which food replenishes at the rate of that of a human feeder I would believe that MBU has found the holy grail and would be the happiest and would not leave or not wander far from that spot. Now since you brought both points to support your statement, what if we provide that holy grail of replenishing food.... would the MBU not be happy?
I still think it's hard to judge based anything other than the sheer size these guys get which would, IMO be the only valid reason for someone to chime in and suggest another person not to get one.
Hopefully you don't get upset and all riled up that I have not followed the masses and agreed with you as some of the others would, I'm just here to share a common interest while having a decent conversation.