Sub-adult Pacu growth rates

[Wet Whiskers]

I've been trying to find information on the growth rates of black pacus beyond just the juvenile stage. I know they grow very quickly when juveniles, but I can't find information about the rate when they are already 20 some odd inches. I know for many fish, they can grow extremely rapidly when very young, but that this rate often slows down as they get older. Is this true for pacu as well, or do these beasts just keep up the same rate of growth? Thanks.

 

[IKeepPacu]

with my red bellies, they slowed down dramatically after the 16-18" mark, and have only grown now maybe 4" or so in the last year, compared to the 18" they grew the first year.

not sure if blacks will be any different or not, but i would imagine they will start to slow down like my reds did

 

[Wet Whiskers]

Blacks get significantly larger than reds from what Ive read and seen, so I have no idea how their growth trend correlates with reds. But so far you win with the best information! Thank you.
It just dawned on me... Johnptc has some giants, but I'm not sure their growth rate would be normal for captivity considering they're in an above ground lake.

 

[Wet Whiskers]

Has no one other than John raised one beyond the 20" mark???

 

[IKeepPacu]

Has no one other than John raised one beyond the 20" mark???

a black pacu, im going to place my money on no

hell, the amount of people on here who have raised red bellies to almost the 2' mark or beyond you could most likely count on your fingers. MAYBE you might need a pinky toe or two as well

pacu are even too monster for most monster fish keepers. better than your average monster, their mega-monsters

 

[Wet Whiskers]

I contacted JohnPTC who has a few in his massive tank. He said his experience was that they slowed down a lot after the 18" mark. That's all that I know so far, but maybe on Saturday I can get a good look at how big they actually are now, and how long its been since they got to the 18" mark.

 

[IKeepPacu]

this thread really got me thinking that theres really NO info for the select few of us that keep pacu on there growth rates. almost any other fish we keep, we could find out there potential size range at most any point in there life.

im trying to get my hands on a few different pacu, and raise them all in my pond, photoing and measuring there growth day to day. I know every fish is different, but it would give us a beter idea of what we may have to deal with. and serve to deter anyone who's thinking of buying a pacu without knowing just what there getting into

thanks wetwhiskers, you just gave me a project to undertake finally with my fish. i know it wont benefit you in time, but hopefully it may other people like us