Best "Solo" cichlid?

[Jc1119]

I am right about what? Where did I compare an aquarium to what fish have in the wild?

What I would like to understand is how you believe it is OK to keep the fish you keep. Yet in a public tank that is 60' long 12' wide and 8' deep a 3 foot pacu should not be kept. By ratio thats better then keeping a 6" fish in a 180g (6x2x2') tank.

I understand the math, and yes there us a part of me that sometimes feels selfish for keeping any fish in an aquarium, but I generally try to keep tank bred specimens. Tank bred fish have no idea what it's like in a lake or river. I don't keep very many wild caught fish any more. I used to and that is my own decision not to. Alot of the pacus seen in public aquariums start there lives in home aquariums and yes I agree they are much better off there. I was simply restating what I said about not keeping them in a home aquarium because it was my original statement. Maybe I should have be clearer about that. Public aquariums are better places to keep large fish than home aquariums for sure and I apologize for the confusion, but I still do not think a 24"-36" fish should have to live in something it can barely turn around in as originally stated ( 8x3x3) . Sorry, I just don't think that size tank is adequate.

 

[Jc1119]

Yeah, that definitely makes sense. Why are you even on monsterfishkeepers if you don't think monster fish should be kept?

Because I'm in the process of setting up a new 240 gallon and thought this would be a good place to learn. Lots of people with some amazing setups and although I've kept fish for the last 36 years of my life , I always look for an opportunity to learn something new. Every day I've been on this site I've gathered new info and insight as to what works and doesn't before I start my building process.

20 years ago I learned pacus make lousy specimens to keep in most home aquaria and 8x3x3 is not adequate IMO. I learned that not from reading about it in some forum or by reading about it online. I learned by mistakenly keeping them , till I could no longer house them. I learned first hand.

And if you don't see the difference in keeping neons in a 20 gallon and a three foot fish in a tank that is only that tall and wide, then maybe you need to learn something new. Wanna know what I learned today? That you are the first person on my ignore list. Congratulations! Thanks for playing!! Later

 

[jclyde13]

I understand the math, and yes there us a part of me that sometimes feels selfish for keeping any fish in an aquarium, but I generally try to keep tank bred specimens. Tank bred fish have no idea what it's like in a lake or river. I don't keep very many wild caught fish any more. I used to and that is my own decision not to. Alot of the pacus seen in public aquariums start there lives in home aquariums and yes I agree they are much better off there. I was simply restating what I said about not keeping them in a home aquarium because it was my original statement. Maybe I should have be clearer about that. Public aquariums are better places to keep large fish than home aquariums for sure and I apologize for the confusion, but I still do not think a 24"-36" fish should have to live in something it can barely turn around in as originally stated ( 8x3x3) . Sorry, I just don't think that size tank is adequate.

You're entitled to that oppinion, I just had a problem with the statement that no tank was large enough, since there are actually quite a few people who own tanks in the thousands (and sometimes ten-thousands) of gallons.

 

[jclyde13]

Because I'm in the process of setting up a new 240 gallon and thought this would be a good place to learn. Lots of people with some amazing setups and although I've kept fish for the last 36 years of my life , I always look for an opportunity to learn something new. Every day I've been on this site I've gathered new info and insight as to what works and doesn't before I start my building process.

20 years ago I learned pacus make lousy specimens to keep in most home aquaria and 8x3x3 is not adequate IMO. I learned that not from reading about it in some forum or by reading about it online. I learned by mistakenly keeping them , till I could no longer house them. I learned first hand.

So have I. I learned (and am still learning) by being stuck with one for the last year and a half+, but I do feel that if I had an 8x3x3, it would be fine.

And if you don't see the difference in keeping neons in a 20 gallon and a three foot fish in a tank that is only that tall and wide, then maybe you need to learn something new. Wanna know what I learned today? That you are the first person on my ignore list. Congratulations! Thanks for playing!! Later

Red bellies do not often grow to 36", but if it did, then yes I would probably want to upgrade. And I'm not sure why you feel the need to announce every time you edit your ignore list. The rest of us do not need to know that you can't handle a mild arguement.

 

[Bderick67]

I understand the math, and yes there us a part of me that sometimes feels selfish for keeping any fish in an aquarium, but I generally try to keep tank bred specimens. Tank bred fish have no idea what it's like in a lake or river. I don't keep very many wild caught fish any more. I used to and that is my own decision not to. Alot of the pacus seen in public aquariums start there lives in home aquariums and yes I agree they are much better off there. I was simply restating what I said about not keeping them in a home aquarium because it was my original statement. Maybe I should have be clearer about that. Public aquariums are better places to keep large fish than home aquariums for sure and I apologize for the confusion, but I still do not think a 24"-36" fish should have to live in something it can barely turn around in as originally stated ( 8x3x3) . Sorry, I just don't think that size tank is adequate.

I guess this is the best answer I am going to get from you. You seem to side step my question regarding your beliefs about public aquariums by adding unrelated info and trying to clarify that which I am not even asking about.

 

[Jc1119]

I guess this is the best answer I am going to get from you. You seem to side step my question regarding your beliefs about public aquariums by adding unrelated info and trying to clarify that which I am not even asking about.

My original statement had to do with an 8x3x3 aquarium housing pacus. Then I said they were schoolers which makes it even harder to keep if you're going to try and keep a group. You said in the public aquarium that they did not show any schooling behavior. Why is that? I honestly don't know and simply stated that maybe they would have been better off in the wild. For schooling species to not school is unusual to me. Mine always schooled. They schooled from quarter sized all the way to a foot long. I've
never seen them in the wild so I can only speak from personal experience.
Not sidestepping anything. Simply stating what I observed in my own fish.

Personally, I think public aquariums are good for certain sized fish. I live in Orlando. Seaworld has not had the best luck with certain whales namely belugas. Killer whales gave had issues as well. Public aquariums might be suitable for pacu sized fish but not got some of the larger fish and mammals. I don't have a problem with public aquariums, but it is hard to dispute the fact that some species never adapt to captivity. By the same logic that a pacu is not suitable for an 8 foot tank, public aquariums although much larger might not be suitable for some species. I apologized for the comment on pacus in public aquariums, but I do wonder why a schooling species doesn't school in that particular aquarium. Something changed it's behavior somewhere along the way. Perhaps they began life in a home aquarium, which altered their behavior. I don't honestly have an answer for that, but I'd love to know why?

 

[jclyde13]

My original statement had to do with an 8x3x3 aquarium housing pacus. Then I said they were schoolers which makes it even harder to keep if you're going to try and keep a group. You said in the public aquarium that they did not show any schooling behavior. Why is that? I honestly don't know and simply stated that maybe they would have been better off in the wild. For schooling species to not school is unusual to me. Mine always schooled. They schooled from quarter sized all the way to a foot long. I've
never seen them in the wild so I can only speak from personal experience.
Not sidestepping anything. Simply stating what I observed in my own fish.

Personally, I think public aquariums are good for certain sized fish. I live in Orlando. Seaworld has not had the best luck with certain whales namely belugas. Killer whales gave had issues as well. Public aquariums might be suitable for pacu sized fish but not got some of the larger fish and mammals. I don't have a problem with public aquariums, but it is hard to dispute the fact that some species never adapt to captivity. By the same logic that a pacu is not suitable for an 8 foot tank, public aquariums although much larger might not be suitable for some species. I apologized for the comment on pacus in public aquariums, but I do wonder why a schooling species doesn't school in that particular aquarium. Something changed it's behavior somewhere along the way. Perhaps they began life in a home aquarium, which altered their behavior. I don't honestly have an answer for that, but I'd love to know why?

I would assume it is because the lose the need to. In the wild, a 30"+ pacu has very few natural predators, so there's not as much of a necessity for schooling behavior as there is when they are only 1-12".

 

[Bderick67]

This is also what I was original trying to get at. Do full grown pacu school in the wild? Comparing 12" pacu in a 180 is kinda senseless, they pretty much have no choice but to school given the allotted space.

 

[Jc1119]

This is also what I was original trying to get at. Do full grown pacu school in the wild? Comparing 12" pacu in a 180 is kinda senseless, they pretty much have no choice but to school given the allotted space.

Then why did they do it at 1"? Because they were raised together? Plenty of space not to school at that size. No aggressive tankmates either. Like I said " they always schooled" I don't know about full grown pacu in the wild other than what I've read, which is that they school. I can only speak from my personal experience. Of course they would school at a foot a piece, but mine always schooled. What's senseless about that?

I originally stated that an 8x3x3 was insufficient to house pacus properly. Maybe not as juvis but as adults it's just not enough space. And I'm sure there are folks around here that have ponds and supersized tanks that could house
them and probably do. They are the exception to the rule. Other than those folks, 99% of aquarium owners do not have adequate space. Why is why I said they are better left in the wild. That doesn't mean they can't be or won't be by people who do not share my opinion, but I stand by what I believe.

 

[jclyde13]

Then why did they do it at 1"? Because they were raised together? Plenty of space not to school at that size. No aggressive tankmates either. Like I said " they always schooled" I don't know about full grown pacu in the wild other than what I've read, which is that they school. I can only speak from my personal experience. Of course they would school at a foot a piece, but mine always schooled. What's senseless about that?

I originally stated that an 8x3x3 was insufficient to house pacus properly. Maybe not as juvis but as adults it's just not enough space. And I'm sure there are folks around here that have ponds and supersized tanks that could house
them and probably do. They are the exception to the rule. Other than those folks, 99% of aquarium owners do not have adequate space. Why is why I said they are better left in the wild. That doesn't mean they can't be or won't be by people who do not share my opinion, but I stand by what I believe.

Well maybe you'd know if you wouldn't have ignored me... idiot. Good luck "learning" when you ignore everyone who disagrees with you.