Red Belly Pacu Diet!

[TLkmDN]

hey guys just got myself 2 RBPacus for my pond. they are about 12 inches in length only. just wondering wat i shud start feeding them. thanks and happy new year!

[convict94]

i'm guessing feeders or some type of meat.

[ccdoido38]

i'm guessing feeders or some type of meat.


NEVER feed it meat; just 'cause it looks like a piranha, doesn't mean you can give it your leftover turkey or whatever.
and don't give it feederfish; it'll make the gentle pacu, a mean pacu.

instead give it whatever it was one; probably pellets. and algae wafers. they like brazil nuts too.
and then give it a vegetable/fruit diet as it gets bigger!

[bigredjeep]

^ agreed, i would feed them whatever the previous owner fed them, i know they naturaly eat vegtable type food, and some fruit, pacus are not meat eaters so avoid meat

[TLkmDN]

ok thanks guys...i was just about to give them sum shrimp haha. thank god i have sum cabbage in the fridge :) peace

[Bderick67]

When I had some a while back, they love to eat peas. Although these guys were only 6-7" long.

[ccdoido38]

ok thanks guys...i was just about to give them sum shrimp haha. thank god i have sum cabbage in the fridge :) peace

AHHH don't do cabbage!!! That's not good.
Give what you would give a pleco; there's a sticky on the pleco thread and gives you a list of what's suitable.

And you can also look up what kind of vegetables and fruits are growing in the amazon, they eat whatever that drops into the water.

Shrimp is fine; meat as in chicken, fish, mice, and whatever people feed to to piranhas aren't good.

[TLkmDN]

AHHH don't do cabbage!!! That's not good.
Give what you would give a pleco; there's a sticky on the pleco thread and gives you a list of what's suitable.

And you can also look up what kind of vegetables and fruits are growing in the amazon, they eat whatever that drops into the water.

Shrimp is fine; meat as in chicken, fish, mice, and whatever people feed to to piranhas aren't good.
haha really!!! i had no idea cabbage is bad...why isit bad btw?? but yeh i have plenty of shrimp :)

[Mr Pleco]

mine grew like weeds on peas, shrimp, dry cat and dog (eukanba) food, koi food in bulk is also good on your pocket book...They grew way past my means of keeping them...GL:popcorn:

[DeLgAdO]

AHHH don't do cabbage!!! That's not good.
Give what you would give a pleco; there's a sticky on the pleco thread and gives you a list of what's suitable.

And you can also look up what kind of vegetables and fruits are growing in the amazon, they eat whatever that drops into the water.

Shrimp is fine; meat as in chicken, fish, mice, and whatever people feed to to piranhas aren't good.

you most likely wont find it in a grocery store :screwy:

[arowana man]

mine love grapes. they also eat algea/spinrula wafers, shrimp pellets, peas, green beans, dried green algea sheets. good luck.

[stevelamby]

First off, a Pacu is NOT a Piranha AT ALL.

Secondly, Yes you can feed your Pacu shrimp, and many other white fish. Pellets are always good and as some stated some vegetable in the diet is nice as well. I hope you did your research and have a HUGE tanks because Pacus get VERY large VERY fast. Just remember a varied diet is best!

[TLkmDN]

First off, a Pacu is NOT a Piranha AT ALL.

Secondly, Yes you can feed your Pacu shrimp, and many other white fish. Pellets are always good and as some stated some vegetable in the diet is nice as well. I hope you did your research and have a HUGE tanks because Pacus get VERY large VERY fast. Just remember a varied diet is best!
yeh i have a pond no worries

[stevelamby]

yeh i have a pond no worries

I suppose I could have read your sig! :screwy:

[dragonfish]

Mine will eat anything and everything. Shrimp, fish, beefheart, pellets, romaine, zucchini, peas, cantelope, honeydew, algae wafers. If it fit in his mouth he will eat it. They do grow fast, mine has grown 2 inches in a month. Might be that he is no longer living in a ten gallon tank or that he eats like a pig. Good luck with the soon to be monsters.

[ccdoido38]

you most likely wont find it in a grocery store :screwy:
i'm sure most stores carry guava, papayas, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, and avocados...and there are a bunch of foreign veggies/fruits in the amazon, which are really common in Asia

[TLkmDN]

hey thanks so much for all ure help guys!!! my pacus just started eating Hikari arowana floating pellets on their second day! monstrous appetites man! i was just wondering about their growth rates at 13'' to beyond plus their max sizes. thanks for ure help!

[Red Devil]

Also they love slices of carrots cut up ... and small pieces of bananas ..and slices of squash.. and thats great that they are eating their Hikari pellets.. best to you!

[Red Devil]

Mine will eat anything and everything. Shrimp, fish, beefheart, pellets, romaine, zucchini, peas, cantelope, honeydew, algae wafers. If it fit in his mouth he will eat it. They do grow fast, mine has grown 2 inches in a month. Might be that he is no longer living in a ten gallon tank or that he eats like a pig. Good luck with the soon to be monsters.

I am glad he is doing so good..... they are so awesome!

[Mystix212]

Red Belly Pacu grow slightly shorter then Black Pacu but the growth rate is still around the 1" p/month untill they hit 2ft, after that growth slows down a bit. Dont quote me on this though.

[TLkmDN]

Red Belly Pacu grow slightly shorter then Black Pacu but the growth rate is still around the 1" p/month untill they hit 2ft, after that growth slows down a bit. Dont quote me on this though.
ooo interesting thats cool. mine also ate all the shrimps i threw in for the RTC...13'' fish out bullying a nearly 40'' RTC??? these pacu sure have attitude. at the rate they r eating id love to see how fast they grow.

[bolty]

^ agreed, i would feed them whatever the previous owner fed them, i know they naturaly eat vegtable type food, and some fruit, pacus are not meat eaters so avoid meat

Pacus are meat eaters, they will ea veg and such BUT at the same time if there is a fish they can get THEY WILL!

my 24inch Pacu crunched up my 6inch TSN cat, left not 1 bit.

I fed mine Grapes
Cucumber
Lychees [with the pip]
Water Melon
Plec Wafers
Pellets [he would eat any, even pond pellets for a change]
Cat Fish pellets
Raw & Cooked Prawns
Squid
Blood Worm Cubes
Garden Worms

had him from this
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/bolty22/fish/Barbs%20and%20Pacu/Pacu/pacu00214aug04.jpg
to this
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/bolty22/fish/Barbs%20and%20Pacu/Pacu/pacu04917jun05.jpg

[bolty]

ooo interesting thats cool. mine also ate all the shrimps i threw in for the RTC...13'' fish out bullying a nearly 40'' RTC??? these pacu sure have attitude. at the rate they r eating id love to see how fast they grow.

I did a thread with pics of my old pacu as he grew, from 1inch to 24inch in 11months bit more that 1inch per month :naughty:

[TLkmDN]

Pacus are meat eaters, they will ea veg and such BUT at the same time if there is a fish they can get THEY WILL!

my 24inch Pacu crunched up my 6inch TSN cat, left not 1 bit.

I fed mine Grapes
Cucumber
Lychees [with the pip]
Water Melon
Plec Wafers
Pellets [he would eat any, even pond pellets for a change]
Cat Fish pellets
Raw & Cooked Prawns
Squid
Blood Worm Cubes
Garden Worms

had him from this
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/bolty22/fish/Barbs%20and%20Pacu/Pacu/pacu00214aug04.jpg
to this
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/bolty22/fish/Barbs%20and%20Pacu/Pacu/pacu04917jun05.jpg
wow ure pacu is beautiful man...on second though mine might actually be a black pacu because its skin is really really dark...almost black but its belly is still a redish tinge so im a bit confused...

[pacu mom]

wow ure pacu is beautiful man...on second though mine might actually be a black pacu because its skin is really really dark...almost black but its belly is still a redish tinge so im a bit confused...

Most red bellies lose their red color as they get bigger.

[mat_per]

I raised mine on peas (they loved them), koi pellets, and large TF pellets, and I admit the occasional feeder.