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Red hook Pacu


Richard

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I am looking at buyine one of these to put in my tank... just wondering... are they much different from red belly pacu? Can anyone tell me more about them? I heard that pacu are the closest fish you can get to piranha... is this the case with red hook pacu? or is it just only red belly pacu? how big do they grow? feeding habits...etc... they also have a black line pacu or something for sale.... about $75 for the pacu's

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Don't go near the Pacus.

In MHO, they are a fish that should not, due to their size be on the market.

I should know, ask Warren how big they get, and I have seven of them.

If it is the proper Red-hook myttenus (spp)

go for it.

There aren't many around and they command a high price.

Living Waters of Tauranga, have them in at the moment,but I don't think the ones he has there are for sale.

I think they will go a bit over 150mm.

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Speaking of Pacus, I clean a tank for a guy who has one in his shop front. He is 'baby sitting' a Pacu for a friend. He was supposed to have it for 2 weeks, it has been 2 months! :evil: As if the Pacu wasn't bad enough, he has 1 large Oscar, 2 G jurapari, 1 HUGE Pleco and 2 convicts to boot. (all in a 400L sqaure tank) Today I gave him an ultimatum...get rid of the fish, or find someone else to clean your tank.

These fish should definately not be on the market. I like them, and would love to own a tank large enough to accommodate one, but thats not going to happen in the too near future.

[/grumble]

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Sounds like a classic case of someone calling a fish a 'Common Name' when they haven't the faintest idea what it really is.

There are several types: Colossoma bidens, Piaractus brachypomus and Colossoma macropomum.

Piaractus brachypomus is the smallest of the three growing to only about 450mm in large aquariums (200-300mm normally).

As the name Colossoma indicates the other two grow very large (up to 2000mm in the wild). The name in itself is a warning, Colossoma and Macropomum both indicate 'very big'.

I had 4 of these fish that I purchased as Red Pacu with the scientific name displayed on the label also, - a credit to the pet shop. It turned out however that the importer or overseas distributor sent the wrong fish as was soon discovered.

Six months after purchasing the fish they were 300mm long - they grow very fast. They have huge appetites too.

Both a friend and myself had very bad experiences with Pacu. They are supposed to be very peaceful, but our fish attacked other fish and ate them. I lost 2 adult Nicaraguan's (170mm and 180mm size). I didn't see the first one disappear, it was just gone when I got home (no trace at all). The next day I lost a Surinamensis and all I found was a small piece of fin. The following day I was sitting watching TV when I heard a thumping in the tank. The 4 Pacu were attacking the other Nicaraguan. I didn't even get the chance to get a net to try to save it. In less than 30 seconds the 4 Pacu ate the whole Nicaraguan (bar a few little bits and pieces).

Luckily I had a spare 400L tank. The Pacu were transferred to it. Now my Oscars and Surinamensis were safe. I rang Rob at the aquarium and told him, 'I have 4 Pacu about 300mm long, do you want them? If you don't we're having barbecued Pacu for dinner'. Lucky for the Pacu Rob wanted them.

They are now happy residents of the National Aquarium of NZ. They're in with the two Pacu they already had. Now, they are peaceful and get on really well with the other fish in their tank, so a happy ending.

The biggest warning I have for you about these fish is their size. You will need 750L per adult fish. So, if you want more than one you will need quite a big tank. I purchased 4 originally because the reading I'd done about the fish I thought I'd purchased said they would grow 200-300mm max. The tank I had for them was 1200L, big enough for the small Pacu species but far too small for the larger ones.

This all happened over 2 years ago. The 4 Pacu are now approx. 500mm long and are fast catching up in size to the ones the aquarium already had.

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Sure pacus are the closest thing to a piranha visually, but if you're talking aggression wise, maybe you'de be interested in some of the larger species of cichlid, like Red Devil, Midas, or Jaguar. They're fairly nasty customers. Besides, piranhas are pussies anyway. If it's aggressive fish your interested in, check out www.aquatiqterrors.com

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Warren ... thats very interesting reading that I did not know.

Since you seem to have some expertise in this area ... I have 2 "Red belly" Pacus. They spent 3 months growing from the size of a five cent coins to about 200mm (about the size of a hand)

they have not grown at all in 4 months, and are far from being aggressive, infact they are "picked on" by my giant gourami, and a gold severum that is only 60mm (ish)

http://trinity.loudas.com/download_gall ... 010001.JPG

here's a pic ... I'd be interested to know what "type" of pacu I have.

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It seems they have all sorts of temperaments. I know someone with a few of a similar size that are very placid.

Most articles you read about Pacu state they grow to compliment the tank size. Once they hit 200mm+ they do slow down in growth rate. Maybe because they are normally not aggressive they have evolved to grow fast to maximise their survival rate in the wild.

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