question concerning red belly Pacu

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kyleferdig

Feeder Fish
May 13, 2008
2
0
0
Anderson MO
I love red belly pacu and have been keeping fish for many years. Currently i have a beautiful 125gal african chiclid tank, running for atleast 2 yrs now.

I have always wanted a big big fish, so i choose the RBP fish. I have done alot of research and I am well aware of their size capability. I put him in my 125 currently and he is very happy only at 2 inches.

I am planning on getting a huge tank for him, so here is my question, how big is big enough to properly house one. I know he will quickly out grow my current tank and i am excited about getting a big one. But i dont want to have to keep going thru tanks, i want the one he will grow and be happy in for his life. so what does everyone reccommend.

I have saw rumors on other sites that say they only grow to around 10in in aquriums but i dont believe that. i think he will quickly out grow my 125.

thanks in advance for any advice on the size i need.
kyle ferdig
 
Well, glad your excited about this... but trust me if your going to keep this guy you will be wanting a 5000G pond...... maybe a bit smaller depending on the fish. I say a pond because a tank this size would be incredible maitnence and cost.... They grow like weeds and will quickly outgrow that tank.. I mean QUICK. Good luck man....
 
5000 gallons is a bit over kill I would say.

a minimum of a 500 gallon pond/tank with the correct dimensions could do the trick. It needs to be able to turn around easily and have some swimming room. Beyond that size will just make the life of your fish that much better.

PS. you want thick glass for those guys
 
thanks for the quick replies, i was thinking of a 500 g too. the first comment is probally true too though. i was thinking of putting in a 500 g down the road anyway.

does anyone know how many inches they grow a yr if properly taken care of??

thanks,
Kyle ferdig
 
if i was building a tank for my pacu, and within all reason, i would go with a tank maybe 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 high

sounds alot, but think that they can reach close to, if not over 3 feet, be several inches thick, and easily a foot tall. i personally have a 5 yr old 18" pacu thats about 3" thick, 6-7" tall, poorly kept by prior owner. i also have a 12" pacu thats only a year old, but already as thick and tall as my larger one, as h's been cared for by me.
 
These fish grow very rapidly. I would suggest an out door pond of at least 1000 gallons, and at least 4 feet deep. They are wonderful fish. If I'm not mistaken, JohnPTC has a few? I'm not fully awake yet, but I'm pretty sure he's got a HUGE one, along with a collection of other monster fish. Check around on the forum for ideas and such. You'd be suprised at the amount of information you can obtain just from going through some of the threads here. Good luck with ur baby too! Don't forget to feed it veggies.
 
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