Keeping your Pacu too warm for long periods of time will result in Oxygen deprivation, which can cause nerve damage, heart damage, and can seriously hamper the immune system.
Keeping them too cool or exposing them to sudden chill can also hamper their immune system. An impaired immune system makes them more susceptible to many diseases , from easily treatable Ick to more difficult diseases such as dropsy or mouthrot. Keep your Pacu in a large fish tank, providing at least 2 gallons or aquarium volume per inch of mature fish length about 8 liters for every 2. I recommend a minimum of 30 gallons about liters for any Pacu aquarium, though larger varieties or species, or multiple fish, will mandate a larger fish tank.
Your Pacu need a filter to keep the water in their fish tank from becoming toxic, and you need to keep the filter in good condition. When selecting a filter, remember to make sure that the filter provides sufficient filtration for a fish tank with the large capacity that your Pacu require. Many people use two or more smaller filters to maintain a large fish tank, such as those required by Pacu.
Using two smaller filters allows you to stagger your filter maintenance so that you are not changing all of your filter media at once and risking cycling your fish tank again. However, it is still important that your filters provide sufficient filtration for your total aquarium volume. Remember that your Pacu is omnivorous eats anything , so provide him with a varied diet. Many high quality processed fish foods are available on the market today, and most frozen fish foods are also appropriate.
In the wild, most Pacu eat primarily vegetable matter, only opportunistically taking bites of fishes' fins or scavenging on an old carcass, so you are best off to try to duplicate this in the aquarium environment.
As a supplement to your processed and frozen foods, offer the Pacu fresh green vegetables, such as sliced raw zucchini, spinach, and pieces of raw potato. There are also many processed plant-based foods that are excellent for your Pacu. Smaller species, however, are vulnerable to everything from birds to crocodiles. For example, pacu fish are very sensitive to disturbances in the water.
They can also adapt to things like low oxygen levels or poor nutrient levels in their water. There are a few conflicting schools of thought on the topic. On one hand, there are dozens of pacu fish breeds, and they occupy wide and diverse habitats throughout South America. On the other hand, there are a number of issues that could affect the native populations of pacu fish:.
Some experts are suggesting that species like the parrot pacu could already be endangered. Pacu fish are large fish that consume a lot of natural resources, so they have a tendency to overrun the habitats that they occupy. This becomes a problem when they outgrow the aquariums of their owners and are released into the wild.
In the wild, pacu fish consume things like nuts, fruits, and seeds. Pacu fish in captivity are generally fed a diet of fish pellets supplemented by fresh fruits and veggies. Pacu fish will eat spinach, lettuce, apples, bananas, peas, grapes and carrots. Their human-like teeth allow them to grind up the same foods that people eat.
Pacu fish can be fed meat in captivity, but anecdotal evidence suggests that giving them too many worms or shrimp can turn them into picky eaters. Pacu fish like all kinds of nuts. Rather than mating in the traditional way, the female releases a large number of unfertilized eggs into the water, and the male releases sperm to fertilize them after the fact.
Are you ready for this? Pacu fish usually release around , — , eggs at a time. They just release them and go. One species, the parrot pacu Ossubtus xinguense , does make a cursory effort to give their eggs a fighting chance. The females have been observed entering a cave before they spawn. This privacy helps to protect their offspring from roaming snakes and birds who like to snack on fish eggs like popcorn.
As pets, pacu fish have been shipped worldwide. Some species have even been deliberately introduced to lakes and rivers to increase fishing opportunities, but regions have come to regret this when the pacu fish takes over the ecosystem. The red-bellied pacu fish Piaractus brachypomus was featured on River Monsters , a documentary series about big and dangerous fish from around the world. For example, the parrot pacu Ossubtus xinguense is found in fast-moving rapids while the black pacu Colossoma macropomum prefers calm waters in flooded river basins and wetlands.
In terms of temperament, pacu fish make great pets. In the U. Pacu fish need large tanks. An adult can reach up to 3. Just make sure that your pond is contained. This could enable your pacu fish to swim to freedom and become a problem in the local ecosystem. However, if you have a juvenile, he will do fine on a diet of commercial fish flakes. If you're unsure which brand is most suitable for your fish, consult your regular aquarium supply store.
In addition to commercial foods, your red-bellied pacu will need to eat a range of fresh foods. A varied diet is important to keep him healthy. Feed the same fruits and vegetables that a person would need to stay healthy, such as broccoli, spinach, peas, banana, apple and grapes.
Unlike other pacus, red-bellied pacus will accept seeds and smaller nuts, such as hazelnuts or cashews. Make sure their food is chopped into roughly bite-size pieces. As these fish like to eat vegetation, any plants in your tank are likely to be devoured. Instead offer pieces of wood for cover. As with other pacu fish, feed a red-bellied pacu once every day.
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