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Author Topic:   red bellied pacu
ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-17-2003 07:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
I was recently at the dallas aquarium, there were several pacu in a massive tank with a diver,they were nearly as large as he was!The sign said they could reach 50 pounds or over and live to 30 years!I bought one on the advice it would reach12 inches maximum and my 55 gallon would be fine.we love this fish and we watched him get more and more crowded and miserable.We finally have bought him a 120 gal. but I fear for his future. I am angry that they are sold to anyone and in large numbers with little info. mine eats dogfood and lives with a large school of tiger barbs without eating any, in fact he sort of plays with them!

[This message has been edited by ignergehl (edited 10-17-2003).]

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dallasthepiranhaman
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Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-17-2003 08:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dallasthepiranhaman     Edit/Delete Message
I have had 2 RB Pacu's and i understand what you mean about them getting big fast. You getting a 120 gallon tank is good for the fish but i think it will still keep growing. i am quite sure it will slow down in how fast it grows once it hits 12 inches like the guy who sold them to you said, if you eventually have to get rid of it you should get some red bellied piranhas for your 120 gallon tank. They live to gether in nature and look even better.Plus piranhas only get 30 inches at the most which would take along time, like years, but they would never out grow your tank.

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kc5gvn

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posted 10-18-2003 01:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
Hi ignergehl, I'm curious, do they still have that large South American Arowana at the Dallas Aquarium. He was really a nice specimen.

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-18-2003 09:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
My pacu(sid) is at 15 inches.There are no means of getting rid of him available now!(the aquarium wont take him and I dont think petstores will either)I was thinking of having him mounted ha ha.I saw an adult specimen in a tank in Irving in a chinese restaurant on display that was just hovering in the middle of the tank because he was too large. He didnt seem unhappy though.can I expect this in my 120 or will he get sick and die eventually{I have good filtation)I remember that arowana from years past but I didnt see him this year!

[This message has been edited by ignergehl (edited 10-18-2003).]

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kc5gvn

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posted 10-19-2003 12:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
He should do OK in a 120. I kept one in a 125 for six years until an ice storm knocked out our power and turned him into a popcicle. HE was perfectly content in the 125.

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ignergehl
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Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-19-2003 08:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks KC,I have been pretty worried about this,the fish is such a character I really didnt want to have to dispose of him somehow. Thank god severe ice storms arent a major concern in texas.Now tornadoes.....

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t_h_e_s_a_c_k
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Posts: 90
From:Surrey, B.C., Canada
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-19-2003 07:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for t_h_e_s_a_c_k     Edit/Delete Message
That pacu will get 22" minimum and it wont be long before that 120g will be like a goldfish bowl for it. Sure it'll survive, but it definatley will not thrive. Once they hit about 12" their growth rate slows down a lot. "Getting rid of it" will not be an easy thing to do. There is no market for pacus, most pet stores wont take large fish back. As mean as it sounds, aren't pacus supposed to be good eats?

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kc5gvn

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posted 10-19-2003 10:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
Don't laugh ignergehl, it was the ice storm that hit Dallas in 1980.

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-22-2003 08:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
Oh crap.If that ever happens again, I will have alot of dead fish.Its funny, ever since I put Sid in the bigger tank he doesnt want to eat,he just races back and forth and flings out a lot of water...

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kc5gvn

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posted 10-22-2003 10:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
He is adapting to the larger space more quickly than I would have expected. Normally they act like they're still in the 55 and stay in one area for quite a while. Pacus go through phases where they eat very little. I don't know why they do that they just do. It's not that uncommon. They are very reislient.

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Rare Cichlids
unregistered
posted 10-23-2003 10:54 AM           Edit/Delete Message
"He should do OK in a 120. I kept one in a 125 for six years until an ice storm knocked out our power and turned him into a popcicle. HE was perfectly content in the 125."

I seriously doubt that. I recently adopted a 22" Pacu that had been kept in a 120g for 5 years, and that fish was in terrible shape. His caudal fin is deformed and all his fins were split and ripped, and he had a huge sore on his nose that may never heal. A 400g is absolute minimum for a Pacu.

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ignergehl
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Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-23-2003 01:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
Once again I ask,why do they sell these fish to the public?I cant afford a 400 gallon, and even if I could, I would have nowhere to put it.Since there is no 'pacu refuge', what am I supposed to do?.The same goes for monitors and boas and iguanas that most people are not ready to house and handle.

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kc5gvn

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posted 10-23-2003 11:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
Sorry you got such a bum deal Rare Cichlids, mine was in excellent shape until the ice storm.

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-24-2003 08:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
im guessing that as long as the water conditions were kept up,and there wasnt any decor for him to bang into...all I know is that he can never reach his full size(55lbs) but what really detrimental effect does that have?I have had a bala shark for nearly 6 years now and he is thriving at half his normal size....if you say your fish was happy then my only choice is to beleive you!!

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gr8fuljames
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Posts: 277
From: Indy
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-24-2003 07:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for gr8fuljames     Edit/Delete Message
It's opion that if you keep a fish in a tank that's to small it will not reach full size or live a full life. I also believe that even though I don't believe in keeping fish this way that the fish won't suffer any deformaties or any thing else as long as water conditions are kept up.

------------------
James (The Grateful One)

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-28-2003 11:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
I sure as hell wont ever buy another pacu,Ill tell you that!And I have taken the advice of pet store employees as truth for the last time as well. He has started eating again and is doing well,I wish big tanks werent so expensive,for gods sake,its just GLASS!

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ignergehl
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Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-28-2003 06:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
Help!now all of a sudden Sid has got small white bumps on the veins of his fins,its not ich!He is pale and not real happy.the bumps are only on his fins and sort of fuzzy,its not like any fungus ive seen before,any ideas?

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Amiee
unregistered
posted 10-28-2003 06:52 PM           Edit/Delete Message
I'm apparently not the only one not having any luck getting rid of a Pacu. I have 3 now - and the biggest is about 18 inches. The smallest is at about 12 inches. They live together in a 100 gallon... Needless to say I need to get rid of them, b/c I'm tired of cleaning up after those boys. Think they would make good cat treats?

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ignergehl
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Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-28-2003 09:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
Wow girl you have got a problem!you may be able to find a pet store to take a couple though,since they arent TOO big.Get a BIG power filter and you shouldnt have to clean too much,I read somewhere that you can euthanize a fish in club soda,if necessary,Ive done it and they just swim around real fast for a few seconds and then kind of 'go to sleep'.there really is no good way,they jusy shouldnt be selling these fish which are only suitable for the largest aquariums.really.

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Lildab
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Posts: 30
From:Chicago, Illinois, U.S,A,
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-30-2003 11:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lildab     Edit/Delete Message
THATS BECAUSE IT WAS SUFFICATING TO DEATH. I HEARD IF YOU PUT A BAG OVER YOUR HEAD YOU WOULD DIE TOO. Try putting an add in the paper. People are looking for bigger fish all the time. Cause they don't want to wait till they grow by themselves. Make some calls to pet stores in the area. Don't be cruel.

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-30-2003 02:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
This method of euthanization came out of a book,not my head.It said that the carbonation knocked the fish out like anesthesia,and it ceased to breathe.It was recomended for fish who were suffering from advanced disease.

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Lildab
Member

Posts: 30
From:Chicago, Illinois, U.S,A,
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-30-2003 07:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lildab     Edit/Delete Message
I understand in a situation were the fish is suffering. Just sounded kinda cruel to me at first. I guess its no worse then a billy club. LOL

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Lildab
Member

Posts: 30
From:Chicago, Illinois, U.S,A,
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 10-31-2003 11:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lildab     Edit/Delete Message
I notice that most sites that have information on Distichodus Sexfaciatus, though it is a little wrong. This fish grows to 33 inches (not 16+), whether captive or in the wild. I bought one ten years ago that was 2" long. At that time I invested in Baensch Atlas (#1) to make sure I could care for the fish. It said it only grows to 8". They had that wrong sadly, and now 10 years later I must find a public aquarium for a fish I absolutely love but cannot properly house anymore -- even in the 250 gallon tank I eventually bought for him.

So many retailers sell fish like the Pacu and Paroon Shark without letting people know they will grow to an excess of three feet -- even 4 or 5.

However I wish you stated the actual size aquarium one would need to house such large fish, instead of saying, "They will need a 50 gallon aquarium to start and eventually a very large one." To most people a 125 gallon aquarium is "very large" yet that isn't enough room for a Pacu, Distichodus Sexfauciatus, or any other three foot fish. In fact, home aquarists really can't keep fish that large except for a very few. You could save people and fish alike a lot of grief if, perhaps, you stated the actual size the ultimate home will have to be -- i.e. "minimum 450 gallons", rather than "very large" which means anything over 60 gallons to most folks ...

[This message has been edited by Lildab (edited 10-31-2003).]

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ignergehl
Member

Posts: 174
From:arlington,TX u.s.a.
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 11-03-2003 10:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ignergehl     Edit/Delete Message
HEAR hear!,the book I read said 22 inches maximum size on the red bellied pacu, OOPS! And the pimply teenager at the pet store said a 55 gallon would be fine...

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Tank Boy
unregistered
posted 11-05-2003 03:25 PM           Edit/Delete Message
i have 2 red bellied pacu that are about 9 months old and about 7" each. they live in a 55gal tank now but they both have stopped eating?

has anyone ever had a pacu lose there appetite? how do they get it back?

the tank is well filtered and very clean.

PLEASE HELP ! ! !

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kc5gvn

Moderator

Posts: 806
From:
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 11-06-2003 03:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kc5gvn     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Tank Boy, Check your water parameters, ammonia and nitrites. If they are good and the water and gravel are clean, and your Pacus aren't showing any other signs of stress I wouldn't worry too much. Pacus do go through periods where they don't eat. I haven't really figured out why. I suspect that it might have something to do with spawning development. Prior to spawning some fish are voracious eaters other species don't eat at all. This is why I suspect that it may have something to do with spawning habits. The problem is you just can't get enough room in an aquarium for Pacus to spawn.

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