OK so I'm going to source a 300 or so gallon tank then talk about filtration. I want to do things right the first time. Thanks for the advice.
Huge fish problem
- Thread starter ckanis
- Start date
125 gallon: Blue gourami ms=4", pink gouramis ms=6", brown knifefish ms=8"
no...these are fine in 60 gallon...the knife may out grow it some day.
no...these are fine in 60 gallon...the knife may out grow it some day.
Hmm...300 gallon tank takes serious commitment...both time and finances...I would recommend a 125 or 180 first. and lose the RTC and the IRD shark...
Wow! I'm surprised your RTC hasn't eaten anything yet! I totally thought this was a fake post...
Sorry for the bad advice you received. Guess you've learned to do your own research now huh? Best of luck getting those guys in a better situation.
Sorry for the bad advice you received. Guess you've learned to do your own research now huh? Best of luck getting those guys in a better situation.
second try
Wow, I'm surprised that stock is working out in that little of a tank...
I too think you should get rid of the silver aro, rtc, pacu, and ID shark...they all get WAY too big even for a 300g. I would also suggest you do your homework (getting opinions on here or googling fish and their maximum size, temperament, and all that other good stuff) before buying anymore fish, seems to me your LFS just wants to make money and lie to its customers.
Well I talked to petsmart and they said they cant take back my fish so I guess I'm going to look elsewhere. I already have a store who wants the red tailed catfish , for free of course, so that is not a problem. The channel catfish has a deformed mouth, and missing wiskers on half of it's face so I really doubt anyone would take him. Right now the pacu is the main issue it looks like and the fish store told me I need some good luck to find someone who will take him. He eats all the food and bullies the rest of the fish so maybe a bigger tank will help out for now until I get him a better fitting home.
It also looks like a tank close to 300 gal is well within my budget. In Orange County I see a few 280 gallon with stands for less than $800. As long as the lights and filters wont cost more than another $800 I think I'm in the clear to buy one in January. The sand and decorations can wait for a bit. Well, I'd be purchasing the tank now and getting the filters and lights in January.
How much work is a tank of that size. I used to raise guppies so I'm used to water every other week water changes changes on 10 10-gallon tanks plus a scrub down every other month or so to get rid of the film. I used to do a full scrub down but don't now because I see the size of my pacu's mouth and don't want that thing taking off one of my fingers, so I just use the magnetic scrubber.
I'd also rather not get rid of the arrowana. I really like the little guy. Him, the spotted bass and the blue gourami are my favorite. I also don't want unhappy fish so if it needs to go it needs to go.
As far as googleing fish, I should have just looked at the card at petsmart. I did when I went back an it said the pacu can get up to 36", I really should have read it. All that is history now and there is not much I can do about it unfortunately.
It also looks like a tank close to 300 gal is well within my budget. In Orange County I see a few 280 gallon with stands for less than $800. As long as the lights and filters wont cost more than another $800 I think I'm in the clear to buy one in January. The sand and decorations can wait for a bit. Well, I'd be purchasing the tank now and getting the filters and lights in January.
How much work is a tank of that size. I used to raise guppies so I'm used to water every other week water changes changes on 10 10-gallon tanks plus a scrub down every other month or so to get rid of the film. I used to do a full scrub down but don't now because I see the size of my pacu's mouth and don't want that thing taking off one of my fingers, so I just use the magnetic scrubber.
I'd also rather not get rid of the arrowana. I really like the little guy. Him, the spotted bass and the blue gourami are my favorite. I also don't want unhappy fish so if it needs to go it needs to go.
As far as googleing fish, I should have just looked at the card at petsmart. I did when I went back an it said the pacu can get up to 36", I really should have read it. All that is history now and there is not much I can do about it unfortunately.
An another thin as far a googleing fish go. That is what brought me to this site when I googled about my pacu.
second try
Your pacu looks like he's a rascal. Over six years ago my husband picked up a 55 gallon tank with two pacu, four oscars and two pleco at a yard sale.
Here's what 15" pacu look like in a 12" wide tank.
From personal experience, I can say that a 300 gallon tank is rather small for pacu. We are finding upgrading to an adequate tank for our pacu to be a very long and expensive process. We are now in year three in our upgrade which involves a major DIY addition to our house. We were totally ignorant newbies when these fish came into our lives. I went online to figure out which fish were the oscars and which were the pacu. I joined five fish forums, including a now defunct pacu forum. The pacu forum fell apart when two different moderators had their pacu die suddenly at two years. On other fish forums I learned about the nitrogen cycle and the need to have a cycled tank and to keep nitrates low. It was impossible to keep the 55 gallon tank cycled, because we had inadequate filtration. The pacu would start gasping if there were nitrites in the tank. As soon as we changed out enough water to remove all nitrites, they would stop gasping. We changed out about 60 gallons of water every day from that 55 gallon tank to remove debris, nitrites and nitrates. From what I have read, pacu can live over 30 years. In small tanks with poor water conditions, they live about 2 years.
If you are not testing your water, I suggest that you get a Fresh Water Master Test Kit (such as the one by API), and routinely test your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. In a cycled tank, there will never be ammonia or nitrite readings. The biggest problem with keeping large fish in a small tank is keeping nitrates low. For most fish, keeping nitrates below 20 ppm is adequate, but may require frequent, large water changes. Our pacu have been in their 300 gallon tank for over five years. We can keep nitrates under control with large water changes. The tank is awefully small for our pacu. In the last month we noticed that one of our pacu turns around at a slight angle and his tail brushes the front of the tank...so he has to be 26-28". Getting rid of our pacu is not an option for us. There is no one in our area who could/would house them, except for us. I believe next year their new home will be ready.
Future home
When you do upgrade to a bigger tank, plan for easy water changes and/or a continuous water change system. Read up on sump filtration which provides superior biological filtration for large systems and can be set up for excellent mechanical filtration also.
Can pacu survive in a 300 gallon tank? Yes, I think they can with excellent water parameters, but their swimming is restricted. From what I've read, pacus given feeder fish have a tendency to become aggressive. They have voracious appetites and are hungry all the time, so they will eat everybody else's dinner if they can. Pacus on a plant based diet tend to be more mellow.
I wish you well in your fish keeping.
