Pacu: can be trusted in a lily pond?

[andyroo]

Big (tropical) pond installation with various lilies & water-plants. Currently parimarily alb.rid.shark (12@~18"), tinfoil barbs (~6@~8") african cichilds, alb.oscars, clown loach & sundry little stuff, snails etc. The client's been for drinks at the neighbour & adores the 18" albino pacu in the pond we did for him, and alb.pacu on the importer's list this month. We'll also be replacing tinfoil mortality with albinos also.

What's the % chance that the pacu will prefer other filamentous & floating plants (overfed, overfiltered, over-lit, overgrown) to her beloved lilies?

 

[FJB]

The chances are quite good that the pace will munch on the lilies, regardless of what else is available to him/her. One posibility is to construct plastic mesh cages over the lilies. It can be done easily and not badly looking with folded large-opening mesh as used to protect three saplings in parks and public areas.

 

[puffers4puffers]

I trust that it will eat all plants!

 

[andyroo]

The chances are quite good that the pace will munch on the lilies, regardless of what else is available to him/her. One posibility is to construct plastic mesh cages over the lilies. It can be done easily and not badly looking with folded large-opening mesh as used to protect three saplings in parks and public areas.

Thought of that, but the aesthetics of mesh protections will be an issue...
Fair enough: we'll either roll-dice & remove if/when there's an issue, including possibly letting the lilies go if she really loves the pacu, or talk the client out of the purchase/introduction - a conversation we've already had about turtles.