can pacu fish break tank
- Thread starter AR1
- Start date
Us nano carnivore tank guys don't get no respeck!
Thank you for trying to help your cousin's pacu. Pacu are not fish that every one can keep. Pacu get VERY large - red belly pacu can get up to 36" and black pacu up to 48". They are long lived fish with potential to live 30+ years if kept in the right way. They can also die very young if kept in poor conditions, i.e., poor water parameters. Pacu are charcins and have that characin skittishness - it doesn't take anything to spook them, and they will swim frantically away from an imaginary predator - slamming into tank walls, tank lids and any decoration in the tank until a final vicious slam into something brings them back to reality. I am convinced that pacu can break tanks. As big as they are, my pacu slam into tank walls and tank lids so hard, that it sounds like an explosion.
Pacu are more sensitive to nitrogen products than many of their counterparts in the wild. The tank must be cycled, i.e., have enough beneficial bacteria in the filtration system to consume all the ammonia generated by fish respiration, fish waste, and food waste. While a lot of fish keepers aim at keeping nitrates at 20 ppm or less, I have found that keeping nitrates less than 5 ppm keep my pacu looking their best.
If your cousin is serious about keeping his pacu, he needs to be aware of the following:
- Pacu should live a long time. Plan for a 30 year commitment to the fish
- Pacu get VERY large. Plan on large housing for the fish
- Pacu spook very easily, so remove everything from the tank that they can break or injure themselves on
- Pacu need good water parameters to thrive. Get a fresh water master test kit and test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Do enough water changes to keep the nitrates low, even if it is daily multiple water changes. If the tank is cycled, there will not be any ammonia or nitrite.
Our pacu have been family members for 18 years now. They are wonderful personable fish who are very curious about the world inside and outside of their tank. They have beautiful grins.
Pacu are more sensitive to nitrogen products than many of their counterparts in the wild. The tank must be cycled, i.e., have enough beneficial bacteria in the filtration system to consume all the ammonia generated by fish respiration, fish waste, and food waste. While a lot of fish keepers aim at keeping nitrates at 20 ppm or less, I have found that keeping nitrates less than 5 ppm keep my pacu looking their best.
If your cousin is serious about keeping his pacu, he needs to be aware of the following:
- Pacu should live a long time. Plan for a 30 year commitment to the fish
- Pacu get VERY large. Plan on large housing for the fish
- Pacu spook very easily, so remove everything from the tank that they can break or injure themselves on
- Pacu need good water parameters to thrive. Get a fresh water master test kit and test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Do enough water changes to keep the nitrates low, even if it is daily multiple water changes. If the tank is cycled, there will not be any ammonia or nitrite.
Our pacu have been family members for 18 years now. They are wonderful personable fish who are very curious about the world inside and outside of their tank. They have beautiful grins.
He needs to get an appropriately sized UV sterilizer for the pond. That should take care of the green water problem. He also needs to test the water and do enough water changes frequently enough to keep the nitrates low.
Besides easily clearing up green water, another wonderful benefit of a UV sterilizer is its redox potential - boosting fish immunity. Because of their vivid imaginations and skittish behavior, my pacu have sustained some horrific, gruesome injuries while slamming around in their tank. I accidentally left a tank lid ajar, and my pacu managed to slam into the lid and slice off his lower lip. It was hanging on by skin at the corner of his mouth.
The lower lip regenerated.
He has managed to slice off large sections of his tail.
Both his lower lip and and his tail have regenerated. I believe in UV Sterilizers so much, I do not keep any medications for my fish. With the UV sterilizer, their terrible injuries heal without medications.
The lower lip regenerated.
He has managed to slice off large sections of his tail.
Both his lower lip and and his tail have regenerated. I believe in UV Sterilizers so much, I do not keep any medications for my fish. With the UV sterilizer, their terrible injuries heal without medications.
thanks a lot pacu mom. my cousin gave the pacu to me and i have it in the 100 gallon kiddy pool. Unfortunetly, i recently ended my pond's setup. looks loke i will have to do something for it. i am thinking to setup a 450 gallon pond for it. what are your opinions.
The jaw power of a pacu is powerful.
450 is an improvement, but long term it will still need much, much more space.
