A Pacus question

[jimangie1973]

stores just shouldnt sell pacu's period
how many people buy them and dont have a clue on how huge they get and how fast it happends.
sure they are cute, all babies are, but their rapid growth makes them nearly impossible to keep for more than a few months. and i dont know many people with 2,000 and up aquariums
save yourself the heartache and dont get pacu's
if you upgrade to a larger tank someday you can try silver dollars, they look similiar but dont grow as huge. they get big, i believe 12"? (correct me if im wrong) you would still need at least a 75 gallon to house a few. they like to school and are skittish in small numbers

Agreed, Pacu's should be banned from aquarium shops. Unfortunately, I see loads of them in many of the shops around town.

As you can see on my avatar, I have 4 silver dollars in a 90 gallon. Mine are about 5-6" and are 2 years old. I would not put silver dollars in anything less than 55. They are very nervous and need room to feel secure. As they get larger, they get more nervous and skittish because they have less room than when they were smaller. They are great fish if you give them the room they need. Research them too.

 

[Debra Mark]

evry one says pacus need a 2000 gollon tank but my freind had 2in a 150gallon and there fine also full grown :dance:

You can probably keep any fish in any size tank.....are they full grown? doubtful....probably stunted.....are they fine? highly unlikely.....

 

[SquirrelOsO]

debra mark
you have an over 3,000 gallon pacu tank??!! wow
id love to see a picture, ive never seen a tank that large before, it must be beautiful

thanks for correcting me on the silver dollars. im glad they dont get as big as i thought. i was thinking about getting some for my 55 gallon...but im still undecided on what my plans are for this tank. right now i have a baby oscar and a baby severum and a 4 inch feather fin. 5 silver dollars may not leave much room for more fish.
i will relocate the oscar once hes bigger to a much bigger tank

 

[ChileRelleno]

evry one says pacus need a 2000 gollon tank but my freind had 2in a 150gallon and there fine also full grown :dance:

The bull'manure is really thick right here, y'all watch your step!

OK, listen up NTT...
The smaller variety, the Red Pacu gets up to 24", the larger, the Black Pacu gets up to 60". They are very large, heavy bodied fish that need alot of room to move about, even to turn around they need slightly more than their body length.
I'd lay a $100.00 on the table that they were either not full grown or severely stunted, and that they were in no way "Fine" in a 150gal tank.
If it was a standard, long or tall 150gal tank there is no way two healthy full grown pacus could live in it.

 

[sublime1184]

...I have a ten gallon tank i and really want a pacus. i was wondering if it is big enough be for one pacus, or do they they need groups to travel in?...

Molly, did you get your info from Mollyluvrsfriend? If so, its spot on! :thm:

evry one says pacus need a 2000 gollon tank but my freind had 2in a 150gallon and there fine also full grown :dance:

It's my lucky day...two trolls in one thread!! Making it easy for the mods!

 

[SquirrelOsO]

evry one says pacus need a 2000 gollon tank but my freind had 2in a 150gallon and there fine also full grown :dance:

i wouldnt call them a troll for posting that if its true. some people do weird things with their pets it doesnt make them a troll. 150 gallons is a big tank, granted its not big enough for 2 adult pacu's but its better than them being in a 55 gallon.
ive seen displays like that in petshops, it didnt look that bad. the fish were able to turn around. i would worry that they would eventually crack the glass though with their strength.
but again, stay away from pacu's

 

[ntt]

You can probably keep any fish in any size tank.....are they full grown? doubtful....probably stunted.....are they fine? highly unlikely.....

there about 6 or 7in and all r healthy ha :dance2: :dance2:

 

[chefkeith]

My fish encyclopedia says that Silver Dollar (Metynnis argenteus) are AKA Silver Pacu

Another Silver Dollar (Metynnis hypsauchen) are AKA Plain Metynnis or Pacu.

 

[ashdavid]

there about 6 or 7in and all r healthy ha :dance2: :dance2:

They are not full grown, try adding another 30 or so inches to their size and then they will be close to full grown.

 

[sublime1184]

David, don't bother with this troll, AKA techno\razorxxx\pictus5\jrd...

its too fun though, I can't follow my own advice