I need help for my girl! 27 year old Pacu
- Thread starter Steven's Pacu
- Start date
Not great photos, but can anyone guess at what she has wrong with her? Another water change now, so can try again in any area that you need to see more closely 
And I'm just seeing your response now! I still haven't figured out how to see all of the posts yet, but used to read your input on monster fish for a year or more. Like you're famous!Sorry, first time I've seen this thread. Very amazing to have nitrates at 40 ppm with a 30% water change once a month. You must be doing some things right to keep your pacu alive for 27 years. I've only had my pacu for 17 1/2 yrs. Pacu are very sensitive to nitrogen products. Any ammonia or nitrite in the water, and my pacu would gasp. Change out enough water so there is no ammonia or nitrite (if there is any), even if you have to do several water changes. After fishless cycling my current tank, the only time I had an ammonia reading was when I fed the pacu copious, unlimited amounts of watermelon. Pacu are extremely messy eaters, and their water can quickly get fouled with food debris. My pacu get fed an exclusive diet of algae wafers to keep the water cleaner as their big tank is still not ready for them. Amping up your mechanical filtration should help with clarity and doing more water changes. My experience is that you cannot do too many water changes when it comes to pacus.
I belong to a pacu forum on Facebook. Some of the members write that enlarged lower lips is an oxygenation problem, and increasing aeration in the tank will help.
There was a time that I knew the names of many medications and what conditions they were used for. I run a UV sterilizer on the tank, and will never ever run a tank without one. The redox potential boosts fish immune systems. I haven't had any fish medications for 15 or 16 years.
I discovered this summer that my pacu do best with lower nitrates. I keep nitrates below 10 and change enough water to get nitrates between 0 - 3 ppm. If the nitrates get to 20 ppm, one of my pacus just doesn't look well. I do daily multiple water changes.
I noticed a lot of bubbles in your pictures. Could be an excess of protein debris in the water. The only fresh water protein skimmer I know of is Clarity CL-3. However, there are DIY foam fractionators, andduanes is an expert on that.
To summarize:
- increase mechanical filtration
- consider just feeding algae wafers until your pacu is in bigger housing
- more aeration
- consider an UV sterilizer (I have a 40W UV sterilizer on the return end of an FX-6) UV sterilizers are peace of mind for me
- water changes, water changes, water changes - start at keeping nitrates below 20 ppm
This is all great information, thank you! They are messy eaters, no lie! Sticking to algae wafers is a really good idea. Protein debris, Yes!! Bonnie has just had the fluval fx4 for most of her life, I switched to the fx6 a year or 2 ago, and recently added another Fx 4 to help with oxygen levels to improve nitrifying bacteria health,, and most definitely the particulates in the water.. Could you explain the bubbles & proteins, meaning the same as particulates maybe? That's interesting as well. The bubbles on the tank surface are intenional, ( spouts shooting to the left on both filters to create a circular motion) and improve aeration. I'm not sure if you read all of the posts, but I did add Pimafix and Melafix to her tank when I saw a spot, possibly ick. But I think thebiggerthebetter said, neither is a parasitic, so not effective. And to figure out what's wrong for certain before medicating the tank. Wise words. I'm trying to do that now. Can you tell from any of the photos, what may be going on? 
Wow! Amazing really! I wish I could climb into your heads here! I still.carry my 3 gallon buckets to syphon, bail, and fill. A great idea about a pvc draining system! Good for spring, but too cold in VT right now. I'll ramp up the water changes for sure, and keep a close eye on nitrates. My quick and dirty has always been Ammonia and Nitrites only. Nitrates are a perfect Guage on tank health then. I've learned a lot here, wonderful! What do you think about the fruits and veggies v.s algae wafers? Pacu mom suggested to wait until Bonnie is in a bigger tank for fruits and veggies for water quality/ just stick to algae wafers for now. I just messaged my friend about building Bonnie a bigger tank soon. It could be a while, or not depending on his schedule.
Carrying buckets to change that much water is good exercise but labor intensive. Maybe you can setup some auto water change system or constant drip on your next build. For now, at the very least, attach the outflow of a strong powerhead or a submersible utility pump to a vinyl hose and send the dirty water to the garden or down the drain. Then get another hose with an attachment to fit your faucet to refill. Hopefully, that’ll make it easier to do water changes. You could also get a Python Water Change kit but they tend to waste a lot of water
There are a number of ways to get the python Going for siphoning, you don’t need to let the water from the tap continuously running for the tank to drain. It’s mostly useful for re filling a tank
I don't know of any big tanks without automatic water change. It's a no brainer and as simple as an overflow pipe on the tank and new water at low pressure constantly dripped in. Old water is displaced out gradually without requiring mechanical devices. 4 litres per hour for example is similar to a dripping tap but achieves 700L per week so the drainage line could be tiny and hidden under carpet, wall skirting, through wooden floors etc. At that rate, no water treatment is necessary but an inline carbon filter is ridiculously cheap.
There are multiple ways to implement automatic water change but displacement is the simplest (most reliable) with no noise, no change in water level, no sudden changes in water temperature, water chemistry, etc. Gradual constant water is the best safeguard against erratic water supply. Sometimes ammonia or nitrite levels occur in town supply.
There are multiple ways to implement automatic water change but displacement is the simplest (most reliable) with no noise, no change in water level, no sudden changes in water temperature, water chemistry, etc. Gradual constant water is the best safeguard against erratic water supply. Sometimes ammonia or nitrite levels occur in town supply.
doesn't the fx filters have a water change valve on them? You could just hook a hose up too it and run it to the nearest drain or outside. Easy peasey.
For reinforcing the floor, metal studs are not strong enough at all. You need some pretty serious lumber, like 4x4's. Run a couple across the floor joists and jack them up with floor jacks or cinderblocks or whatever. It's not hard to do. Becareful with your verticals, if your running a full room height 4x4's they can bow under pressure. Short pieces are fine. Cinderblocks in crawl spaces are a standard for floor supports.
For reinforcing the floor, metal studs are not strong enough at all. You need some pretty serious lumber, like 4x4's. Run a couple across the floor joists and jack them up with floor jacks or cinderblocks or whatever. It's not hard to do. Becareful with your verticals, if your running a full room height 4x4's they can bow under pressure. Short pieces are fine. Cinderblocks in crawl spaces are a standard for floor supports.
The fish doesn't strike me as healthy-looking but nor do I see anything acute.
Cloudy eyes, could be bacterial or could be as simple as an abrasion or an unstable pH or inhospitable water (e.g. too high nitrate although 40ppm is not bad in my book).
Hard to make a call on the nostrils, maybe okay or maybe some Hole-In-The-Head erosion going on.
Bumpy head with unusual black marble-like pattern - don't know what to make of it.
Fleshy colored upper lip could be from physical abrasion.
Swollen lower lip - not sure but I'd trust Susan who says this may be an indication of not enough dissolved oxygen.
There may be many other reasons behind each symptom, so this must be analyzed all together. Let's see what others might say.
Finally, I am so not used to study a fish looking from above. I always look at them side on. This impedes my analysis.
Cloudy eyes, could be bacterial or could be as simple as an abrasion or an unstable pH or inhospitable water (e.g. too high nitrate although 40ppm is not bad in my book).
Hard to make a call on the nostrils, maybe okay or maybe some Hole-In-The-Head erosion going on.
Bumpy head with unusual black marble-like pattern - don't know what to make of it.
Fleshy colored upper lip could be from physical abrasion.
Swollen lower lip - not sure but I'd trust Susan who says this may be an indication of not enough dissolved oxygen.
There may be many other reasons behind each symptom, so this must be analyzed all together. Let's see what others might say.
Finally, I am so not used to study a fish looking from above. I always look at them side on. This impedes my analysis.
