The same things apply as the last weeks. Try to get pics of your OWN fish, video links, stories, personality, and the main thing INFO. because this isn't just a place where you can talk about your experience with others who own this species. You can also give newbie keepers of this fish some reliable info.
And now the main part. The fish of the week is, the very loveable...
...*Red belly pacu [Pa-koo]
Scientific name: Colossoma macropomum
Common name(s): Red belly pacu, Tambaqui
Genus: Colossoma
Family: Characidae
Size: 39.4"+ (100.1 cm) But some say that they have reached 4'!
Care level: (one * being novice and ***** being expert) *****=expert
Water chemistry: tropical
Location: Amazon Basin
Dietary: Omnivorous, but mainly herbivore, feed it foods such as dark leafy greens, green beans, peas, bananas, seedless watermelon chuncks, grapes, and tropical nuts (crack before serving.)
Status: currently not listed as an endangered species
Description: I currently do have experience with this species.
The red belly pacu is a great food fish for the natives, for that it grow HUGE! Sadly because its commonly sold in Walmarts, Petsmarts, and other local pet stores its not an aquarium fish. They have a very red under belly but this tends to fade with age. A very close cousin to the Piranha though they come from the same family. Something that most people are oblivious to is this fish is basicly a over grown Tetra, because they like to school with there own kind. So being a schooling fish its very finicky fish when by its self, making this a tank buster species! A juvenile red belly pacu will need a very large tank very soon, this species will eat non-stop causing it to grow quite rapidly. If you can't afford a larger enclosure soon then the next thing you know is your going to be trading it in at your LFS. I advise that if your hand feeding this fish you be very careful, because se the pacu is constinly cracking nuts that fall in the rivers. Which causes this species to evolve a incredibly powerful jaw. An adult pacu can easily crack bone, Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that there was a news report that said a persons finger was bitten by a pacu at a zoo. Though pacu are not aggresive fish, their just hungry. I have never heard of a pacu dilbertly out of aggression trying to attack a human. Their not like thier cousin the Piranha. Most people get a red belly pacu because the fact that they have a very adorable face and they are full of personality and humor.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mi5...http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9gXTf4yBrPg/default.jpg
Thats all I know about this fish now its your turn to tell others.
And now the main part. The fish of the week is, the very loveable...
...*Red belly pacu [Pa-koo]
Scientific name: Colossoma macropomum
Common name(s): Red belly pacu, Tambaqui
Genus: Colossoma
Family: Characidae
Size: 39.4"+ (100.1 cm) But some say that they have reached 4'!
Care level: (one * being novice and ***** being expert) *****=expert
Water chemistry: tropical
Location: Amazon Basin
Dietary: Omnivorous, but mainly herbivore, feed it foods such as dark leafy greens, green beans, peas, bananas, seedless watermelon chuncks, grapes, and tropical nuts (crack before serving.)
Status: currently not listed as an endangered species
Description: I currently do have experience with this species.
The red belly pacu is a great food fish for the natives, for that it grow HUGE! Sadly because its commonly sold in Walmarts, Petsmarts, and other local pet stores its not an aquarium fish. They have a very red under belly but this tends to fade with age. A very close cousin to the Piranha though they come from the same family. Something that most people are oblivious to is this fish is basicly a over grown Tetra, because they like to school with there own kind. So being a schooling fish its very finicky fish when by its self, making this a tank buster species! A juvenile red belly pacu will need a very large tank very soon, this species will eat non-stop causing it to grow quite rapidly. If you can't afford a larger enclosure soon then the next thing you know is your going to be trading it in at your LFS. I advise that if your hand feeding this fish you be very careful, because se the pacu is constinly cracking nuts that fall in the rivers. Which causes this species to evolve a incredibly powerful jaw. An adult pacu can easily crack bone, Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that there was a news report that said a persons finger was bitten by a pacu at a zoo. Though pacu are not aggresive fish, their just hungry. I have never heard of a pacu dilbertly out of aggression trying to attack a human. Their not like thier cousin the Piranha. Most people get a red belly pacu because the fact that they have a very adorable face and they are full of personality and humor.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mi5...http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9gXTf4yBrPg/default.jpg
Thats all I know about this fish now its your turn to tell others.
