No need for the "Yeah right." comment?REDKID!!!;641237; said:
Cynical sarcasm at it's best pertaining to the likelyhood of aggression not becoming a factor...
But you probably meant to refer to my comment, "Just not right.".
No need for it? Why?... Simply because you disagree?...
I'm just as entitled to my opinion as you, and I feel it's just not right to attempt to house a fish in conditions whiich do not even come close to fulfilling basic needs of the species.
They are schooling fish, they have a genetic/instinctual need to school, not meeting this basic need can and often does result in problems.
They are often shy/erratic & sometimes exhibit damaging behaviour to self or habitat due to this need not being met...
Common problems with many other schooling/shoaling species when not kept in acceptable minimum numbers.
IMHO three (3) fish would be very minimal, prefer five plus (5+) to meet the species needs.
Just becuase something is done, doesn't mean it should be.
Once full grown Pacus do need huge habitats to allow for the number of fish needed to meet the schooling/shoaling instinct, to allow room for free movement/swimming in a school/shoal and to allow for the dilution of waste.
Most responsible keepers acknowledge the fact that such fish will need either a truly humongous tank bordering on a public display scale or a pond/lake/river to live out their natural lives.
Minimum tank dimensions for some movement, average length of adult fish...
4xL, 2xW, 2xH, Adult Pacu... Shall we be conservative and say 2'(TL)
8x4x4x7.5=950gal... Very minimal mind you for a fish that prefers large open rivers and travels in schools.
So lets chop that figure in half and call that the minimum gallons needed per fish...
3x475=1425gal 4=1900 5=2375... Hmmmmm... Multi thousand gallon habitats.
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Let me just summarize my view on keeping fish/animals/children...
The keeper owes it to the critter he takes into his care to provide for it atleast the minimums (hopefully better than minimums) it needs to live it's full natural lifespan in relative physical/mental health, i.e. proper habitat, food and care.
Atleast children can be raised and they leave to take on life on their own, but unless we provide the necessary care/habitat and keep species native to our locale which might be released into the wild, then we accept responsibility for the full lives of our charges.
