Big Pacu is a PIG... How to feed little Pacu?

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justonemoretank

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 30, 2009
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Virginia
Hey all--
This question is about my two Pacus, Mr. Pacu (16 inches) and Little Pacu (12 inches). Mr. Pacu is a pig. He eats everything. Luckily, I feed my RTC by hand, so he doesn't have to compete. Even so, Mr. Pacu comes up and wants to be hand-fed too! (I'm just not going there. I like my fingers.) The problem is Little Pacu. He doesn't get nearly as much food, and I want him to grow quickly, so he never looks like a snack. What have you done to fix this problem, if it can be fixed? I have tried throwing food in one corner, and then in the other corner, but Mr. Pacu swims the nine feet and takes both pieces before Little Pacu even knows what's going on. What do you feed to ensure everyone gets fed? Thanks for your input on this -- and Little Pacu thanks you too.
 
What are you feeding Mr. Pacu?
 
Peas, corn, cucumber, lima beans, grapes, algae wafers, the green Hikari cichlid pellets, the brown Hikari cichlid pellets, small pieces of fish fillet, shrimp shells, pieces of squid, Aqua Stable, which is a sinking pellet... LOL basically he's a goat. Obviously, not all of this at the same time, but he seems to find all equally palatable, and is therefore inclined to eat it all.
 
Thats a nice mix,you might have to hold back big pacu with a nice sized net while you feed the smaller one to allow him to get his share of the food.Sounds like you have a really nice tank when you have one fish moving eight or nine feet to get to the other side of the tank.:)
 
My husband did try to hold him back with the net that we use to skim the top of the water (the kind you use in pools) but it just freaked everyone out, and even Guido (the RTC) didn't want to come and eat his dinner. It is a pond we built for Guido, so I knew length would be important. If he maxes out in size, we'll need to build another one, most likely, but that is a little ways down the road, at least!
 
BUMP for hungry Little Pacu!
 
LOL Guido. That was my biology teacher's name. :D

Anyway, try to get the smaller pacu used to your hand and try to hand feed it. If the big one comes, gently push it aside until the little one eats. Oh and how many gallons is the tank?
 
It's a little over a thousand gallons. 11x9x3.5, or something like that, with about a foot and a half walled off to make the filter. Shouldn't I be afraid of being bitten by mistake? That's why I shoo off Mr. Pacu from eating from my hands, anyway... I'm afraid he'll bite me and do some serious damage.
 
justonemoretank;3311174; said:
It's a little over a thousand gallons. 11x9x3.5, or something like that, with about a foot and a half walled off to make the filter. Shouldn't I be afraid of being bitten by mistake? That's why I shoo off Mr. Pacu from eating from my hands, anyway... I'm afraid he'll bite me and do some serious damage.
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Hmmmm. While they do not hav sharp teeth, I suppose they could cause some damage to your fingers.

If you don't want to risk it, You could try stabbing the food item with a kebob stick or something and try feeding it to the little pacu.
 
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