Red Belly Pacu

[Lokemer]

So ive kept a 30 gallon tank with my parents before pretty much just some small fish. But 3 Weeks ago i got a 55 gallon tank and i know im going to have to upgrade later so please don't scream "UPGRADE!!!!" at me but anyway i have one baby Red bellied pacu and i think i will get a oscar any ideas on if these fish will go well together?

And if not the oscar any suggestions of what will go with a Pacu

 

[Straydum]

as you already know the pacu cant stay long term. not too sure about compatibility but that would be what most people would tell you first thing they read

 

[Lokemer]

yeah im going to get a bigger tank ive seen them together with oscars on youtube and they were fine but the good thing is the stand i have has room for 2 more tanks under it so even if my pacu decides to take up the 55gallon i guess i can run some feeder tanks .

and wont the pacu stop growing if the tank is to small my dad when he was a kid once kept 2 oscars in a 30g. And they lived until he went to college.

 

[foley69]

no they dont just stop growing its called stunting growth which the body stops growing but the organs still grow and this in turn will kill the fish for a pacu alone you will need at least an 800 litre tank as they grow huuuge and thats just for one anything else than that is cruel i think as for the oscars in a 30gal thats cruel as well but if you are going to upgrade like you said then make sure you get the 200gal 6-7ft tank as the pacu will be stunted and will not live ling at all

 

[raptorrex]

no they dont just stop growing its called stunting growth which the body stops growing but the organs still grow and this in turn will kill the fish

apart from the comment "stunting" none of the above is true! there is no evedence that fish organs continue to grow in a stunted fish, i believe, evedence indicates, the opposite is true. either way, the fish need a much bigger tank.

 

[Lokemer]

ok but any ideas on compatibility?

 

[Davo86]

ok but any ideas on compatibility?

tbh nobody is really going to suggest fish when you are really already overstocked with just the Pacu, (if it is indeed a juvi pacu and not a piranha)
Pacus grow incredibly quickly when given a varied diet and in a few months there will literally be no room for a tankmate

 

[Lokemer]

ok. and umm just a other little thing i already said im looking at a tank why yell at me for being overstocked im just using this one because my lfs give you a discount if you already have a smaller tank when u upgrade to a big one.

 

[Davo86]

ok. and umm just a other little thing i already said im looking at a tank why yell at me for being overstocked im just using this one because my lfs give you a discount if you already have a smaller tank when u upgrade to a big one.

Pacus are a species that shouldn't be in the trade full stop, if no one brought them then they would be left in the wild to grow to 3 foot + at their leisure,
and for someone to know their adult size and still purchase one, for a 30G no less, is simply not going to be accepted lightly by any serious fishkeeper, sorry.

 

[raptorrex]

ok. and umm just a other little thing i already said im looking at a tank why yell at me for being overstocked im just using this one because my lfs give you a discount if you already have a smaller tank when u upgrade to a big one.

Pacus are a species that shouldn't be in the trade full stop, if no one brought them then they would be left in the wild to grow to 3 foot + at their leisure,
and for someone to know their adult size and still purchase one, for a 30G no less, is simply not going to be accepted lightly by any serious fishkeeper, sorry.

i really can not reiterate how important the comments Davo86 has made, are!

 

[8inary]

my advise, is to get rid of it now.

pacus should not be sold as they simply get too big for pretty much 99% of tanks.

when i first started off, i was sold two which were about the size of a 50 pence, it didnt take too
long before they were around 1.5ft - i thought id sell them both, thinking id get a lot for them,
however all the shops i called gave me a thorough talking too! and refused to take them apart
from one shop in the end they simply just took them.

 

[Lokemer]

oh ok well then.......i guess ill just get my oscar because no way in H*LL is my lfs taking him back and i doubt petsmart will take him..... and davo i have a 55 gallon not a 30

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Since the damage is done and its pretty well impossible to offload a pacu.... Put a huge filter on your 55g. With a pacu, you're looking at a fish that's going to need all of the available swimming space. You really can't put a large, territorial fish like an oscar in there. But! there are plenty of interesting bottom dwellers that you could look into getting. I suggest that you start having a look around in the Catfish forums.

Since you will inevitably receive a lot of flak from any serious fishkeeper about your pacu, I strongly suggest that you respect appropriate tank size in picking your other inhabitants. Don't select anything over 3/4 the width of your tank or it'll be too big to be appropriate. As most 55g are 12" wide, this means that any tank mates should have an adult length of only 8" or less.

The most important part is filtration. While pacus, bless them, are very hardy fish and can endure terrible water quality, you will have a lot of trouble with tankmates dying of dirty water if you don't have a lot of filtration. So if money is an obstacle, look around online for a good deal on the biggest filter you can afford. You'll want something in the vicinity of 400 gph. And by filter, I mean canister filter. A hang-on-the-back type would be a waste of your money. Once you get the filter in there, then you can relax and get some tankmates.

What kind of substrate do you have? And how deep is it?

 

[scotlad]

Well i dont really know much about pacus i just have a community tank.Its 55 gallon and the pet shop near me after asking what kind of fish to get he sold me 3 pacus they have trebled in size and now after reading this im rather pissed off at the guy in the shop.Im guessing what im doing is cruel?Whethr it my fault or not i have a prob.

 

[kniesh]

Sayin get rid of the fish as they shouldnt be in the trade makes no sense IMO. If you already have the fish, chances are takin it back to the shop will result in it being housed horribly still. The advice is to really buy a tank as big as you can and try to give this fish as good and big a home as possible. Not buying anymore would be the sound advice. As he has stated an upgrade is coming, the best advice to give has already been given, make sure this upgraded tank is 200+gallons and this will make a reasonable, not perfect home for a fish that as said, shouldn't be sold in the trade.