I got the pacu before I knew how big they got, which was
not entirely my fault. I always do a ton of research on a fish before buying it (which I did with the pacu). I had read three or four books and like five websites that all said that Red Bellies get to 24". I only found one source that said that they get to 36"+ which I automatically dismissed as being a myth since I had looked at so many other sources that claimed they only got to 24" (and one actually said 18"
). So it was only after I had gotten the fish that I started getting on this site more often and saw the threads about pacu growth rates and realized that my tank isn't actually big enough. The problem is, my house doesn't have nearly enough space for a larger tank, and you probably know how hard it is to get rid of a pacu. So I'm basically stuck with it. I figure it is better to have one fish that doesn't have enough space than two. So that is why I am worried about a catfish outgrowing my tank.
