i have a 13 inch red bellied pacu. hes very healthy no problems at all except with his tank i just cant seem to get the water to stay clear. hes the only fish in a 75 gallon tank. i have a magnum 350 canister filter with two bio wheels and an undergravel filter with 2 reverse flow power heads attached to it . he has plenty of air going to his tank and his light is only on for 9 hours a day. he doesnt get overfed as i watch how much and how often he eats, but the ammonia still skyrockets and its an established tank. i know hes a hearty fish and the ammonia doesnt affect him. ive done water changes and tried so many things to fix this problem. i know this is a piranah thread but they are cousins if anyone could help me id be very appreciative. i love my fish and i dont want to hurt him.
red bellied pacu
- Thread starter pacu girl
- Start date
I think a 13" pacu in a 75g tank is pushing it. You might have ammonia due to the fish's waste, and it will only get worst. Do you have a larger tank for him? Cause if so I would move him soon...this could fix your ammonia problem.
Ammonia comes from somewhere, waste, rotting food, dirty gravel, not enough filtration...
One more thing...what do you do for water changes...# and quantity? Cause cloudy water and ammonia rings a little like a mini-cycling process.
Ammonia comes from somewhere, waste, rotting food, dirty gravel, not enough filtration...
One more thing...what do you do for water changes...# and quantity? Cause cloudy water and ammonia rings a little like a mini-cycling process.
you need more filter power
but i really suggest you get a bigger tank
a 300 will do, a red bellie max out a 2 feet, some say its 3 but then again im not sure
have you considered a wet-dry filter?
and one more thing, your tank is not cycled, to keep up with the pacus waster production
you could add a biological additive such as cycle or stress zyme.
pacus have a very innefficient digestive system so whatever you give him most of it comes out the other side.
but i really suggest you get a bigger tank
a 300 will do, a red bellie max out a 2 feet, some say its 3 but then again im not sure
have you considered a wet-dry filter?
and one more thing, your tank is not cycled, to keep up with the pacus waster production
you could add a biological additive such as cycle or stress zyme.
pacus have a very innefficient digestive system so whatever you give him most of it comes out the other side.
Cyclop3000 said:
bingo
do you have a deep bed of gravel?and lots of decorations
and how much (and how often) water do you change as stated above?
i am aware that they have a bad digestive system so thats why i monitor the feeding ive toyed with the idea of more filtration but i was kind of leaning towardds a bigger tank like it was suggested to me. i do weekly water changes with 25 - 30% of the water coming out he is going into a bigger tank but untill its set up what can i do. i have tried the biological additives they dont work. should i do more water changes
no i dont have a deep bed of gravel and there are no decorations just a few large rocks on the bottom of the tank. i knew that the fish was going to get big when i got him so i wanted to give him as much room as possible to swim around and be comfortable in.
Add a Emperor 400 or Aquaclear 110
or better yet add a wet dry filter. And get a larger tank if possible.
or better yet add a wet dry filter. And get a larger tank if possible.
ive heard pacus get between 2 1/2 to 3 ft in length with that knowledge and knowing that fish need to be able to turn comfortably without cramping themselves a tank thats at least 3 ft wide would be sufficent right. i was thinking of having one made because i havent seen them sold anywhere that are 3 ft wide 2 ft high and 8 ft long