View Full Version : Red Belly Piranaha or Pacu?
alexis
08-08-2005, 6:36 PM
I bought what I thought was a RB Pacu a few months back but as time goes on I wonder more and more if it truly is a Pacu or not. If anyone could help me figure this out I would appreciate it.
bluedempsey
08-08-2005, 6:48 PM
pics would be helpful
repair
08-08-2005, 8:40 PM
It's a red belly pacu......or at least I have a 50% chance of being right. :rofl:
Spydey
08-08-2005, 9:58 PM
cant tell without pics...
alexis
08-08-2005, 10:49 PM
Here is a picture its not a very good one but maybe it will be enough.
PACU GET READY FOR THE BIG ONE
Caveman
08-09-2005, 8:48 AM
Looks like a Pacu to me, I hope you have a big tank.
cockroach
08-09-2005, 9:35 AM
Itsa Pacu.....pirhana have the black right against the caudle penduncle. they look awesome when big and healthy.
Oscar guy
08-09-2005, 10:35 AM
yea thats a RB pacu i have like five you from experience dont buy five cuz in like a year they will out grow a 100 gallon tank. and has any one ever saw a RB pacu with stripes all around its body?
alexis
08-09-2005, 2:05 PM
Yeah he swims most of the time. he will pause from time to time and hovers. The reason I wondered as to what he was is the fact that he is very aggressive and eats everything that happens to be in the tank with him be it smaller than him or be it larger than him. He will not eat any fruit I have put in his tank or the algea tablets. He is starting to get some teeth in they are still just tiny but they seem to be very sharp.
DeLgAdO
08-09-2005, 2:47 PM
Yeah he swims most of the time. he will pause from time to time and hovers. The reason I wondered as to what he was is the fact that he is very aggressive and eats everything that happens to be in the tank with him be it smaller than him or be it larger than him. He will not eat any fruit I have put in his tank or the algea tablets. He is starting to get some teeth in they are still just tiny but they seem to be very sharp.
get him to eat veggies their good for him
STARVE THE BASTARD!!!!!
alexis
08-09-2005, 3:06 PM
What should I try? Ive tried about everything fruit and veggie wise and he wont eat any of it. All he wants is live food.
DeLgAdO
08-09-2005, 3:12 PM
how big is he? youngins can still learn, big ones take longer
alexis
08-09-2005, 3:16 PM
he was 1 1/2 - 2 when i got him now he is four. I dont know what to do. When he started eatting his buddies i got all of them out. Tried everything under the sun and after 3 days he hadnt ate so i put a guppy in and he had ate it in 2 seconds flat.
DeLgAdO
08-09-2005, 3:46 PM
hmmmmmmmm
alexis
08-09-2005, 5:20 PM
What should i try to feed him?
DeLgAdO
08-09-2005, 11:41 PM
feed it pellets, try that.
alexis
08-10-2005, 2:31 AM
What kind of pellets? He will eat the shrimp kind but only when they are falling if they land on the bottom then forget it he wont touch them.
DeLgAdO
08-10-2005, 2:42 AM
try this, good stuff here
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4383&N=2004+6100
you can tell by looking at the jaws. the piranha has a strong looking jaw while the pacu has a normal looking jaw.
piranha45
08-12-2005, 3:40 PM
a little starvation will make that damn pacu eat whatever you please. i fed mine koi pellets cuz they eat so freakin much, anything else will get expensive fast
alexis
08-14-2005, 11:58 PM
I tried the food that you suggested and he wanted nothing to do with it. He hasnt had live food in 6 days and he ate some shrip pellets today.
piranha45
08-15-2005, 12:21 AM
6 days is nothing, that fish can go over a month without food.
alexis
08-15-2005, 7:49 AM
Wow I didnt know that ! And here I was worried about 6 days.
jayclarke
08-15-2005, 1:38 PM
I bought a red bellied Piranha about 8yrs ago it was 2cm long 1yr later it was 38cm long .................... I had a pacu! BOY could that fish eat!!!!! I kept him with a red tiger oscar and a huge pleco ...... until the oscar went wild and tore the poor thing apart. Beware of cichlids wot more can i say. :hitting:
warren126
08-15-2005, 2:09 PM
I live in Atlanta and the pet stores donnot carrie Piranha would like to know where online I can order thanks Warren
eamil:twobdtmine@aol.com
wickedworm76
08-15-2005, 3:02 PM
Wow I didnt know that ! And here I was worried about 6 days.
starve him. drop a pellet or two everyday. it'll eat eventually. he he he.
You will probably need to fax a copy of your permit to any legit supplier but there are many who deal in piranha online
alexis
08-15-2005, 7:11 PM
That is what I did and after 6 days he is finaly eatting!
cajunass21
08-17-2005, 2:58 AM
I have 2 RB Pacu 9" and 7". I feed them cichlid pellets and sticks and they love them. As a treat I feed them peanuts and they go crazy! I tried shrimp and they didn't care for them. I also have a 6" pleco and when I feed him algae discs I have to hide them from my Pacus because they eat em up. I don't know if that is good for them or not.
DanDanUK
08-17-2005, 3:03 AM
Here is a picture its not a very good one but maybe it will be enough.
PACU Piranha has a bigger mouth with row's of sharp teeth you can clearly notice a piranha because it's lower jaw extends out more than the top jaw it's lower lip is also thicker.
fishnthings
08-17-2005, 3:17 AM
my pacu is stupid and only eats when theres other fish in the tank to show him theres pellets ontop of the water!!!
alexis
08-17-2005, 7:08 AM
Pudge is pretty smart he sees you come near his tank and open the tank he "assumes the position", poised and ready for food to come his way. I dropped in an aglea wafer for the hundreth time yesterday and for the first time he munched down. He also ate a handful of the pellets so its seems at last I have made some progress!!!!! YEahhhhhhhh!!!
trekie1
08-17-2005, 8:05 PM
stick ur finger with some blood on it you will find out fast
alexis
08-17-2005, 9:42 PM
I tried that one time because someone told me to see how he reacted. I poked my finger and let a few drops of blood fall into the water. He ate them and went nuts swiming erraticly around the aquarium . I mean he freaked!!!!!http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=58961#
Swear
guppy
08-18-2005, 12:20 AM
Both can bite but the piranha cuts and the pacu mangles. A neat row of sharp triangular teeth means piranha.
alexis
08-18-2005, 1:29 AM
yeah but that is still impossible to tell because his teeth are just now breaking through the surface of his jaw, all you can tell at this point is that there are going to be teeth!!!!!
MindsEar
08-20-2005, 2:37 PM
What should i try to feed him?
I had a gorgeous red-bellid pacu, who was a DELIGHT. We were both very lucky in that I wa able to find him a good home with a cichlid breeder with huge tanks. My guy LOVED red or green grapes, apple, lettuce, squash, raisins, carrots, oranges, broccoli, cauliflower, and walnuts. Hope this helps -- and that you have a HUGE tank ready for him. (Experts I consulted recommended a 2,000-gallon set up for a RBP, who can live 25 years and reach 100+ pounds. GOOD LUCK!
MindsEar
08-20-2005, 2:46 PM
My pacu also loved cichlid pellets and frozen peas and peanuts. Sorry, forgot to add that. He did fight the pleco for the algae wafers, as well. He was a pretty peaceful member of my tank -- shared with a 14" tiger oscar. I loved that fsh, but he outgrew my tank, and I can't afford a 2K set up just now. We were tank-raisng him for a friend in KY with a man-made pond (2 acres) who didn't want to put a baby pacu in his pond (thought that larger fish and snappers woul dtake him out at that size) so asked if we would get him to 14" or so before putting him in the pond. Trouble was, our friend DIDN'T do the research he told us he did -- and that pacu couldn't have survived a midwestern winter in the pond. (YES, I agree: I should have done my OWN research. I made a mistake!) So rather than consign thsi beatiflu creature to death, I did my own search to get him into a proper aquarium. BUT, not one zoo or one public aquarium with 6 hours of BLoomington (IN) would take him. Alas. LUCKILY, I found this private collector and my pacu has a happy ending.
Are there any others in the midwest who HAVE proper pacu-sized tanks or indoor ponds who might be able to help other pacu out? I think my guy is set, but the zoos/aquariums I called EACH reported that they get an AVERAGE of 250 such calls for help a YEAR - which means that a lot of pacu are in desperate need of proper homes.
Just curous. Thanks!
boredcpl
08-20-2005, 2:57 PM
My pacu also loved cichlid pellets and frozen peas and peanuts. Sorry, forgot to add that. He did fight the pleco for the algae wafers, as well. He was a pretty peaceful member of my tank -- shared with a 14" tiger oscar. I loved that fsh, but he outgrew my tank, and I can't afford a 2K set up just now. We were tank-raisng him for a friend in KY with a man-made pond (2 acres) who didn't want to put a baby pacu in his pond (thought that larger fish and snappers woul dtake him out at that size) so asked if we would get him to 14" or so before putting him in the pond. Trouble was, our friend DIDN'T do the research he told us he did -- and that pacu couldn't have survived a midwestern winter in the pond. (YES, I agree: I should have done my OWN research. I made a mistake!) So rather than consign thsi beatiflu creature to death, I did my own search to get him into a proper aquarium. BUT, not one zoo or one public aquarium with 6 hours of BLoomington (IN) would take him. Alas. LUCKILY, I found this private collector and my pacu has a happy ending.
Are there any others in the midwest who HAVE proper pacu-sized tanks or indoor ponds who might be able to help other pacu out? I think my guy is set, but the zoos/aquariums I called EACH reported that they get an AVERAGE of 250 such calls for help a YEAR - which means that a lot of pacu are in desperate need of proper homes.
Just curous. Thanks!
my 2 are going to need homes soon.. they are a foot or more in lengthand still growing good. they are in a 105 gal tank now but they will need more room.. i also have a smaller one if i get rid of the 2 i am going to get rid of the little guy too.
MindsEar
08-20-2005, 3:17 PM
my 2 are going to need homes soon.. they are a foot or more in lengthand still growing good. they are in a 105 gal tank now but they will need more room.. i also have a smaller one if i get rid of the 2 i am going to get rid of the little guy too.
Good Luck, boredcpl. It's a real challenge to find proper homes for these guys. My opinion, having just spent FOUR months on the phone and web trying to find a proper home, is that the RB pacu should NOT be sold in consumer shops, period. I mean, how many "hobby" aquariasts have the resources to safely and responsibly raise a fish of this scale and longevity? .05% is my guess -- and that' generous.
Even the Indianapolis Zoo is having problems finding a home for its 2 black pacu -- who are 19 years old and pushing 100# each. They, sadly, are closing their Amazon exhibit next year, and the keepers have no leads yet on an adoptive home for their fish. It's a sad state for this noble species, I fear. I considered building a 1,000-gallon pond for my guy, but it wasn't practical -- and would only have been a temporary home, at best. (The keepers suggested a MINIMUM of 2,000 gallons for this ONE fish!)
I wish I had better news to share, but I think that these species is not one that ANY general fish store (ala WalMart, Petsmart, etc.) should be selling as they just don't really know what they're doing in terms of monster fish. Which is NOT TO SAY that they're aren't knowledgable people who DO work in this sort of store, but, as a point of reference/argument, when our friend bought this particular pacu at WalMart, the sales dude there assured him, with great confidence, that the pacu would only get to SIX inches, and would be an "excellent companion for his guppies and barbs". I agree -- if by "companion" you mean "executioner", then they were right on target! ;-)
Thoughts? Suggestions for those TRYING to find a home for pacus? (OTHER than the frypan!) ;-)
boredcpl
08-20-2005, 3:22 PM
fring pan doesnt sound to far off.. id say there is a lot of meat in them.
alexis
08-20-2005, 5:09 PM
I was told by the people at Walmart that they would never get more than 10 to 12 inches and that they were peaceful. I quickly set them straight. The girl was telling a lady and a little boy when I walked up that it would be fine to put 5 rbp in a 10 gallon tank. this was a ridiculous statement and much to the young sales ladies dissapointment the lady and her son chose some guppies instead. I think that these companies that do sell these fish should be better informed before they are allowed to sell such fish. People are unsuspectingly setting themselves up for a big problem in the near future. I really appreciate all the feedback that I have gotten from everyone.
oscar1
08-23-2005, 9:51 PM
its a pacu
Just1nK4ng
08-25-2005, 3:45 AM
Does it swim constantly?
does it swim constantly because if it does it is pacu reb bellied piranhas nature is to chill at a spot and swim in the current and swims around when its hungry
JesseD
09-01-2005, 6:35 PM
You should be able to get on the internet and compare your So called paranha to a pic (easy as that)..........
Just1nK4ng
09-01-2005, 10:49 PM
Here is a picture its not a very good one but maybe it will be enough.
kind of looks like a rbp because of the black on the tip of there fins anyways good luck with the pacu
Serygo
09-03-2005, 2:54 AM
Difference between pacu and piranha...
Most piranhas teeth you can see a outline of on their lips...
Piranha do not have the lips open all the time, will be cracked a little bit, but not fully open like a pacu's will be
Piranhas have shorter fins than the pacu's do...
Most pacu's have a pretty long anal fin as a piranha has a shorter anal fin that only gets to like a half an inch long at the most.
clp2051
09-04-2005, 2:22 PM
can u feed ur Pacu only Meat?
alexis
09-04-2005, 3:01 PM
Ive come to the realization that ill find out for sure what he is when he gets his teeth in. The opinion seems to be that he is a pacu and that is fine with me cause that is what I wanted anyway. He would be none the happier to eat nothing but fish , but sience he has not had that choice he has eatten the pellets, but still acts like he is contantly waiting for something else. He does hover alot near the side of the tank looking at the fish in the other tank, and im sure if i dropped one in his tank it would be gone in a flash. Thank you everyone for all the help and I will keep you posted as he gets bigger.
Serygo
09-04-2005, 3:21 PM
can u feed ur Pacu only Meat?
I would reccomend more food registered for pacus only.
the pacus have kinda flat teeth like us, and not like piranhas with those sharp pointed teeth.
carnivorous
09-11-2005, 5:14 AM
stick ur finger with some blood on it you will find out fast
yer a little slow, bored, or just jealous cause you only have 9 fingers! ha ha!
warren126
09-11-2005, 9:05 AM
yeah it is a pacu nice fish how big is he
SUCRAM
09-12-2005, 4:06 PM
:ROFL: SURE ILL HEP YOU OUT???
JUST LOOK AT THE TEETH???
Check the tread "rpbs and rays" for some comparison shots, Welcome to MFK Sucram!
mikestack
09-12-2005, 6:44 PM
do you have a pic?
mikestack
09-12-2005, 6:47 PM
sure he will do just fine
keniisi
09-14-2005, 4:24 PM
If you drew a line starting at the mouth straight across to the end of the tail (from front to back). A pacus eye will be horizontal (or on the line) with it's mouth.
A piranha's eye is higher than it's mouth. That's usually how I can tell when their young, but they look pretty much the same. Oh..it's a pacu...
bentnewt
09-22-2005, 8:15 PM
pacu