I have a 6" red belly pacu and was wondering what kind of tankmates would go good with him. Right now he is in a 55 gallon with a bunch of guppies. He did have two oscar buddies but they fought all the time so the oscars got moved.
Pacu tank mates
- Thread starter pacu_keeper
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before worrying about tank mates, have you researched and found out that pacu can and WILL get over 2 ft, and can push 3ft long, and a foot high, and weigh in at 60lbs easily??
within a few months, that 55 will be too small, as pacu hit a major growth spurt around 8-9", and you will see them balloon up to 16-17", possibly even pushing 2ft with proper food and care. you need a tank measured in HUNDREDS of gallons to keep these guys even for a couple years, and thats crammed. then they will almost definatly need an indoor or outdoor pond, capable of holding a fish that could easily be 3ft long and weigh 60 pounds. so than basically means a pond that is several THOUSAND gallons. can you afford to build, heat, filter, maintain, and feed a pond this size?? my largest pacu is only around 20" and he can put down a more than a pound of fruits and veggies a week without issue, and thats not counting the pellets, krill and shrimp etc. he gets form the other fish. feeding is expensive as can be by itself.
trust me when i say, everything you read about pacu size, is true. these arent fish-tales when your told a pacu can reach these sizes, as some other fish in the hobby are. they are more than likely one of the largest fish kept by private keepers except maybe RTC and pima's, with few other exceptions.
oh, and did i mention a properly cared for pacu can live for 20 years or more, just like many other fish??? make sure your prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars for this one fishes lifetime to care for it between food, housing and all associated costs.
within a few months, that 55 will be too small, as pacu hit a major growth spurt around 8-9", and you will see them balloon up to 16-17", possibly even pushing 2ft with proper food and care. you need a tank measured in HUNDREDS of gallons to keep these guys even for a couple years, and thats crammed. then they will almost definatly need an indoor or outdoor pond, capable of holding a fish that could easily be 3ft long and weigh 60 pounds. so than basically means a pond that is several THOUSAND gallons. can you afford to build, heat, filter, maintain, and feed a pond this size?? my largest pacu is only around 20" and he can put down a more than a pound of fruits and veggies a week without issue, and thats not counting the pellets, krill and shrimp etc. he gets form the other fish. feeding is expensive as can be by itself.
trust me when i say, everything you read about pacu size, is true. these arent fish-tales when your told a pacu can reach these sizes, as some other fish in the hobby are. they are more than likely one of the largest fish kept by private keepers except maybe RTC and pima's, with few other exceptions.
oh, and did i mention a properly cared for pacu can live for 20 years or more, just like many other fish??? make sure your prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars for this one fishes lifetime to care for it between food, housing and all associated costs.
Thanks for the info but I already know ALL of this. I did plenty of research and planning before I bought my monster and I bought him because he is monster. I want him to get HUGE. We have already planned our future housing endeavors for this infamous tank buster. Seeing as you have TWO of these beasts would you care to tell me the best mates for this guy?
Most cichlids are good with pacus. Oscars are usually ok, but not in that small of a space. When you have the space, anything large and not too agressive works well. My two are with an oscar, jag, JD, pike cichlid, marble pim, and a pleco. They have had in the past florida gars, clown knife, midas, and a green terror as tankmates, also. I wouldnt recomend gars, though, unless they are LARGE and tough enough to take a blow from these monsters.
Here is a pic...tank is a 220:
Here is a pic...tank is a 220:
Thanks. . Right now hes in with guppies and he seems to be afraid of them. Hes such a baby 
But I love him. Your pacu look NICE! Im just dreading the day Im going to have to move this monster into another tank. I was cleaning his tank yesterday and he got spooked and ran into me. Hes pretty strong already and im hoping he wont bust my tank before i can move him.
But I love him. Your pacu look NICE! Im just dreading the day Im going to have to move this monster into another tank. I was cleaning his tank yesterday and he got spooked and ran into me. Hes pretty strong already and im hoping he wont bust my tank before i can move him.pacu_keeper;2050564; said:Thanks. . Right now hes in with guppies and he seems to be afraid of them. Hes such a baby
Haha, yeah, they really are wussies. Such massive size, but not a mean bone in their body.
When I moved mine from the 75 to the 220, I had a river running through my living room. They are very strong, and when you try to grab them, they can displace a lot of water very quickly.
i appologize for my 1st post, but theres just too many people that dont have the room, money, or desire to give them what they need. even the most dedicated people can be hindered by unforseen events, myself included. just trying to help people from getting into something they may truly not believe, or know the commitment of.
little wussies dont describe pacu. they get startled extremely easily, and are scared of their own shadow generally speaking. so you can pretty much keep them with almost any fish. IMO the best are bottom dwellers that will gladly live off the mess the pacu makes when eating. loaches, catfish, polypterus, ropefish etc. you can see from my sigi, my pacu are kept with some extremely nasty fish, and some easy going ones. they very easily hold their own when the time comes.
also, try feeding them lots of real fruits and veggies, as thats what their natural diet is. mine love grapes above all else. and if you really want to treat them, you can give them totally plain, unsalted nuts. as its another thing they eat in the wild, which is why they have those big square-like teeth.
and as was just stated, when you go to move these guys as they get larger, arm yourself with a large fishing net, many towels, plastic tarp for furniture, and a bathing suite or rain gear
a piece of advice....... plant tall fake plants on the sides of your tank to help deter them from slamming into the sides head first when scared. my 20" face is so beat up its not even funny, because he wont stop for nothing once he's spooked. however the smaller once almost always stops and moves before he hits them, leaving him with a perfectly pretty face
little wussies dont describe pacu. they get startled extremely easily, and are scared of their own shadow generally speaking. so you can pretty much keep them with almost any fish. IMO the best are bottom dwellers that will gladly live off the mess the pacu makes when eating. loaches, catfish, polypterus, ropefish etc. you can see from my sigi, my pacu are kept with some extremely nasty fish, and some easy going ones. they very easily hold their own when the time comes.
also, try feeding them lots of real fruits and veggies, as thats what their natural diet is. mine love grapes above all else. and if you really want to treat them, you can give them totally plain, unsalted nuts. as its another thing they eat in the wild, which is why they have those big square-like teeth.
and as was just stated, when you go to move these guys as they get larger, arm yourself with a large fishing net, many towels, plastic tarp for furniture, and a bathing suite or rain gear
a piece of advice....... plant tall fake plants on the sides of your tank to help deter them from slamming into the sides head first when scared. my 20" face is so beat up its not even funny, because he wont stop for nothing once he's spooked. however the smaller once almost always stops and moves before he hits them, leaving him with a perfectly pretty face
Its okay about your first post. I understand that there are lots of people who buy these guys without knowing their potential for growth and destruction. My pacu wont eat anything that doesnt sink, he rarely eats off the top of the water.When I took my oscars out of the tank with him yesterday he put up more of a fight than the oscars and he wasnt even in the net. He splashes around alot and he made a pretty good mess of my carpet. He has grown from about 2" June 15th when we bought him to close to 6-7" in just that short amount of time. I have no doubt he will be a BIG fishy. I think hes suffering from separation anxiety cuz hes just sitting next to the glass and wont look at me. He usually stares at me all day. I think its the guppies so im going to scoop them out and into the oscar tank to be eaten.
if he'll only eat sinking foods, try algae wafers if you havent already. their expensive usually, but its one more thing you can give him. when i rescued my big guy, thats all he would touch for months, and it supported him during his growth spurt. so im guessing theres gotta be some good stuff in there
Mine at 12+ inches get along with anybody. They either like him or stay out of the way to avoid being run over.