What kind is that pacu?
- Thread starter Keepers
- Start date
You don’t see them as much these days, but definitely not a rare fish.
What they do is get too large for most aquarists to reasonably keep.
What they do is get too large for most aquarists to reasonably keep.
Black, yes. They are far rarer than red bellies in the trade, seems like 1 to 100, but still not that rare to come across them.
How big is a male red belly pacu? I'm confused mine was 32" at about 7 or 8 years old and 38 lbs we weighed him as we moved him outside. and looked different he was darker on top half not quite black but dark , like a dark greyish black ,and red on the bottom that tapered to a finer width down the length of his under belly. I was told he was male as the females have a rounder belly which he did not. I sent pics to every site I could find to figure out what I had. He just kept growing from a 50cent piece size to a monster. They all told me from pictures it was a red belly pacu, but he was bigger then everything I read on them. I thought I bought a baby silver dollar but I obviously bought a imposter lol .I had to move him outside into our 6 person spa he was so big at about 8 or 9 years old. He lived with me 18 years before he passed and I was so distraught I didn't think to weigh him again. Mine was actually very friendly in fact I'd say affectionate he would rub all over my hands, arms and legs when cleaning his spa. He also ate smelts as a daily treat, and large feeder gold fish. Along with fruits etc. But he loved fish. Including his tank mates growing up, does this sound like a pacu? He had the big square molar teeth that could and did break my Italian silver bracelet. He like pretty shiny things. I was very attached to this fish! I know a fish? But he had personality and interacted like no regular fish, he genuinely liked me and my attention ! It's been 10 years now I lost him but I've never forgot him or my many visitors who came to see my gentle giant ! I will do my best to find some old pictures I had taken over the years.
Red belly pacu can easily grow up to two to three feet. it is rare in home aqauriums because a majority of owners fail to provide a large enough aqaurium and pristine water conditions, which tends to stunt their growth. While black pacu can easily reach up to 4 feet. Only red belly pacu have a red colour at their bellies and anal fin, which they tend to lose as they mature. My 1.5 foot pacu still has some red on its belly. The dull dark grey and light grey colours you mentioned are perfectly common in RBs(red belly) pacu. As to how to defferntiate between a male and female pacu, you can easily tell it by the adipose fin of the pacu. Males have a more sharp, jagged adipose fin while females have a more rounded adipose fin.
