Black Pacu was described by the researcher Cuvier in 1816, while studying the fauna of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America, and is now included in almost all large rivers tropical zone New World, since the mid-90s it has found its way to Asia, where it is grown as a food source.
Pisces prefer single image life in dark waters flooded forests, they feed on everything that can fit in their mouth - fruits, grains, insects, plant debris, and can also feast on small fish.
Requirements and conditions:
- Aquarium volume - from 1000 liters.
- Temperature - 23–28°C
- pH value - 5.0 - 7.8
- Water hardness - from very soft to hard (2-20dH)
- Substrate type - any
- Lighting - moderate
- Brackish water - no
- Water movement - weak/moderate
Fish parameters:
- Size - up to 70 cm.
- Food - any
- Life expectancy - from 20 to 25 years
Description
The first thing that catches your eye is huge size, in home aquariums the fish often exceeds 70 cm, and taking into account the high, laterally compressed body of the Paku, it looks quite impressive. It should not be confused with its closest relative, the Red-bellied Paku, which has a reddish belly and more modest dimensions of up to 50 cm. The color varies from gray to black, the fins are dark.
Nutrition
In an aquarium, fish readily eat almost everything: dry industrial food (large granules, tablets), plant pieces, meat, including frozen. The approximate composition of a serving may look like this - chopped pieces of apple, zucchini or other vegetables and fruits mixed with meat (shrimp, shellfish).
The main difficulty in keeping Tambaca is the need to purchase a very large tank and find a place to place it, since a filled aquarium will weigh about a ton. Efficient filters and changing water by 30 - 50% every two weeks will ensure it high quality. The rest of the equipment is standard - heater, aerator, lighting.
The fish prefers the middle layers of water, so provide large spaces for swimming in your design. Decoration includes large plants, driftwood, artificial grottoes, hiding places. Despite its size, Paku is timid; vibration and sharp sounds can cause panic, causing the fish to start hitting the walls of the aquarium.
Social behavior
Prefers proud loneliness, but will not refuse proximity to representatives of other species if they satisfy following conditions: peaceful, non-aggressive, non-territorial, large enough not to accidentally become food.
Breeding/reproduction
Due to its size, the Black Pacu cannot be bred at home; this requires special nurseries in natural backwaters. However, attempts have been made, although mostly research purposes, the first successful experiments in captive breeding date back to 1992, the year at the research center in Natale (Brazil), with the help of hormones, healthy offspring of these giants were obtained.
Diseases
Like any big fish A common problem is the lack of space and sufficient nutrition, which adversely affects the well-being of Paku, otherwise she is very hardy. Read more about symptoms and treatment methods in the section “Diseases of aquarium fish”.
Peculiarities
- Large size, requires a spacious aquarium
- Shy, sudden sounds cause panic
Common name: Piaractus brachypomus.
Kingdom: Animals.
Type: Chordata.
Class: Ray-finned fish.
Order: Characiniformes.
Family: Piranhas.
International scientific name: Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier, 1818).
Maximum size: up to 88 cm in nature, up to 60 cm in an aquarium.
Life expectancy: up to 28 years.
Temperature: from 23 to 28 C.
Minimum aquarium volume: from 200 liters.
Synonyms: Colossoma bidens (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) - two-toothed colossoma; Colossoma brachypomum (Cuvier, 1818); Colossoma paco (Humboldt, 1821); Myletes bidens Spix & Agassiz, 1829; Myletes brachypomus Cuvier, 1818; Myletes paco Humboldt, 1821; Reganina bidens (Spix & Agassiz, 1829); Wateina fowleri Amaral Campos, 1946.
Despite their reputation as a dangerous tropical fish, piranhas are quite popular aquarium fish. Even novice aquarists can easily keep an aquarium with piranhas without losing a single limb =)
Habitat of Piranha Red Pacu
The main habitat of the Red Pacu is the Amazon River basin in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. They are also found in various rivers of China and Taiwan.
They predominantly inhabit river channels and meadows flooded during the rainy season. Prefer shallow waters slow flow river areas with big amount overhanging or floating vegetation.
Appearance of Piranha red pacu
The red pacu's body is compressed at the sides. The main body color is silver (becomes darker towards the back). The underbelly and fins are colored red. The dorsal fin contains from 15 to 18 rays, the pectoral fins from 16 to 19 rays, the anal fin from 24 to 28 rays, the pelvic fins from 8 rays. The first few rays of the dorsal and anal fins are longer than the rest. A series of sharp vertebrae formed by modified scales can be observed on the fish's abdomen. The pacu's jaw has two rows of hard, flattened teeth used for crushing seeds and nuts. The largest individuals can weigh up to 25 kg and measure 88 cm; in an aquarium, the size of a red pacu does not exceed 50 cm. The smaller sizes of individuals kept in captivity are most likely due to insufficient nutrition.
Females have a more rounded (potbellied) shape.
Contents Piranha red pacu
For normal maintenance, an aquarium with a volume of at least 200 liters is required. With proper care they grow quite quickly. The water temperature should be from 23 to 28 °C with good filtration and aeration, pH from 4.8 to 7.5. It is important to remember that when containing red pacu important It is not the decor of the aquarium that matters, but the size of the aquarium and high-quality water filtration. You can generally get by with minimal decor because large sizes fish and its activity. However, if you still decide to add decorations to an aquarium with a red pacu, then it is best to stick with artificial plants, since the fish will readily feast on any living plants. Several will look just as good large stones combined with a large snag. Weekly water changes of 30% are required.
Compatibility Piranha red pacu
Calm and peaceful fish. This allows aquarists to keep it with many large species. Adult red pacu are able to get along with aggressive and predatory fish. They live both alone and in groups. However, it is better to keep a group of fish in a species aquarium.
Feeding Piranha red pacu
In nature, the main diet consists of fruits, nuts and seeds. In aquariums, they are often fed high-quality dry kibble in combination with fruits and vegetables (spinach, lettuce, apple, banana, peach, grapes, peas, cabbage, etc.).
Piranhas only need to be fed once a day. More intensive feeding results in more waste produced by the fish and an increased risk of overfeeding. Security proper nutrition increases the lifespan of your piranhas and strengthens their immune system.
Please note that feeding aquarium fish ok should be correct: balanced and varied. This fundamental rule is the key to successful keeping of any species of fish. Therefore, it will be very useful to read the article “,” which talks about this in detail, and also outlines the basic principles of the diet and feeding regime for fish.
IN given time Popular and popular food for fish, of course, is dry food. For example, food from Tetra, the leader, can be found on aquarium shelves all the time and everywhere. Russian market, in fact, the range of food from this company is amazing. Tetra’s “gastronomic arsenal” includes individual food for a specific type of fish: guppies, goldfish, cichlids, loricariids, labyrinths, arowanas, discus fish, etc. Tetra has also developed specialized foods, for example, to enhance color, fortified, or for feeding fry. Detailed information You can find out about all Tetra feeds on the company’s official website -.
It would not be superfluous to note that when purchasing any dry food, you should first of all pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, try not to buy food in bulk, and also store the food in a closed state - this will help to avoid the development of pathogenic flora in it .
Breeding Piranha Red Pacu
Spawning is seasonal and begins in November, when the water begins to rise due to the onset of the rainy season, and lasts until February. On average, pacu eggs measure 1.2 mm in size and weigh just over 1.6 mg. An adult female can lay between 150,000 and 200,000 eggs.
The eggs hatch 12-20 hours after fertilization. At birth, Red Pacu fry are approximately 2 mm long and weigh 16 grams. By the time they hatch, they have fully developed nervous system with an increased number of neurons in the anterior and posterior regions. This type of pacu reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3 years. During this period, the fish are already similar to adult individuals and differ only in the absence of spots on the body.
Not bred in aquariums. On the farms Far Eastern countries achieve spawning through hormones
Epilogue
Piranhas are beautiful fish that are very playful and very active in dim light. If you provide them with everything they need: space to swim, clean and warm water, plenty of shelter, high-quality varied food, then they will reciprocate for a long time. Treat piranhas with respect and their menacing teeth will never pose a threat to you.
Having an aquarium with such unique fish will always be one of the topics of conversation among your guests.
If you are interested in these peculiar fish, try keeping them. And don’t be afraid, they don’t eat people, but are quite charming, although they were born with teeth that are threatening to look at.
All of the above is just the fruit of observing this type of aquarium fish and collecting various information from owners and breeders. We would like to share with visitors not only information, but also with live emotions, allowing you to penetrate the world of aquariums more fully and subtly. Register on, participate in discussions on the forum, create profile topics where you will talk about your pets in the first person and first-hand, describe their habits, behavior and content, share with us your successes and joys, share and learn from experience others. We are interested in every bit of your experience, every second of your joy, every awareness of a mistake, which makes it possible for your comrades to avoid the same mistake. The more of us there are, the more pure and transparent drops of goodness there are in the life and everyday life of our seven billion society.
Red pacu video review
Pacu fish, herbivorous piranha - freshwater fish piranha family. In nature, they are found in the Amazon and Orinoco, standing and flowing reservoirs of their basins.
IN European classification present with early XIX century.
Fish farming and fishing facility. Kept in aquariums. Also found in natural bodies of water North America and Asia, where they are considered harmful fish, displacing natives. They are bred in nurseries all over the world.
The pacu fish is a conditional herbivore. Juveniles feed on small crustaceans, gastropods and insects washed into the water by rain. The adult prefers plant foods. They can crush nuts.
Natural enemies are local dolphins and crocodiles.
Representatives of piranha pacu are similar in physique and lifestyle.
Appearance
The body shape is an ellipse, laterally compressed to a disk. Anal and dorsal fins quadrangular, tapering towards the tail. The anal is extended to the tail. The caudal fin is forked. The scales are small, with a silvery sheen.
The eyes are large and mobile. The mouth is large and oriented forward.
The teeth are quadrangular, similar in structure to human molars.
Behavior
- They keep to themselves in the aquarium. They form pairs during spawning.
- They are leisurely, but are active during feeding.
- They eat plants, including hard-leaved plants.
- They do not exhibit any predatory habits, but they will swallow an unwary fish.
- Shy, afraid of sudden movements and loud sounds.
Lifespan
The oldest caught in nature is 28 years old. In captivity - 12–15 years.
Differences between piranha pacu and red piranha
- The color is similar to the smallest detail.
- Teeth predatory piranha outwardly resemble the points of a pike. The peculiarity of the bite is externally expressed in the characteristically protruding lower jaw.
- The red pacu piranha is twice the size. A one-year-old pacu corresponds to the size of an adult predatory piranha.
- Red piranha is a pronounced schooling fish.
Kinds
Red pacu and black pacu are common in aquariums.
Black pacu
Aka brown pacu (Colossoma nigripinne, Piaractus macropomum). The name "Piaractus macropomus" is incorrect. The abundance of Latin names is explained by the separation of the previously brown pacu into a separate species.
The dominant color is from gray to black. The abdomen is light. IN in some cases the anterior part of the abdomen and lower jaw have a pink tint.
The maximum body length in nature is up to 1.08 m with a weight of 40 kg. The typical size is 70 cm. It does not grow like that in an aquarium. Depends on the volume of the vessel.
Red
Called Piaractus brachypomum, red-bellied pacu or two-toothed colossoma (Colossoma bidens).
The dominant color is darker. Caudal fin with a vertical dark stripe. The bottom of the gill covers, lower jaw and abdomen are red/orange. The pectoral and anal fins are red/orange.
The largest specimen captured was 0.88 m in length. Weight - 25 kg.
The main problem of keeping is the size of the aquarium fish. Adapts to changing conditions. Resistant to diseases.
Currents in the aquarium are welcome.
Piranha is a timid and nervous fish. Feels confident in the company of 3-4 relatives.
Aquarium for piranha
For adult a capacity of 1.5 cubic meters is required. The approximate size of the aquarium (WxHxD) is 2000 x 750 x 1000 mm. In a species aquarium - from 0.8 m3 per individual.
For soil, use pebbles with 1–2 cm fragments or a sandy substrate. The paku fish looks harmonious against a light background.
He eats live plants, but tries artificial and fixed ones. Hang driftwood, massive stones, and rocks as shelters.
Water parameters
- Temperature: 24–27 °C. You will need a heater with a thermostat with a power of 1 W per 1 liter of capacity.
- Hardness: 1–5 °F.
- Acidity: pH 5–7.5.
In a vessel without plants, intensive air flow and filtration are necessary. Compressor with a capacity of 1 liter of air per 1 liter of water per hour. External filter, pumping 5–8 vessel volumes per hour.
Replace at least 1/4 volume of water with settled water weekly. Remove food debris and waste products from the soil.
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Lighting
The luminous flux is standard: 40–60 lumens per 1 liter of water. Use fluorescent and LED lamps with a color temperature of 5000K. They are distinguished by maximum light output, without a thermal component in the radiation.
Daylight hours are 10–12 hours.
Nutrition
It eats a lot and is omnivorous, but 70% of the pacu's diet is plant food.
Give us vegetables and grains. Greens, fruits, berries are suitable. Do not grind the feed. The herbivorous piranha copes with nuts in the shell. It is enough to cut into pieces that fit into your mouth.
For feeding, use live food (bloodworms, coretra), frozen and dry food. Eats fish fillet and beef. Be careful with meat: the fish’s character deteriorates.
Feed 1-2 times a day. Weekly - fasting day.
Compatibility
Pacu is a unique fish. In the aquarium, it is the only one that can live side by side with predatory piranhas without any problems.
Gets along with all fish that match the composition of the water. Eats small ones.
Reproduction
Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. Females are larger in size, with a swollen abdomen.
Breeding in captivity is problematic. Young individuals are supplied to stores from nurseries.
Hormonal injections are used for spawning. The parents do not care about the eggs; they eat the fry.
The fry need constant sorting. Developed individuals are prone to cannibalism. They are fed daphnia and artemia. Plant food - phytoplankton, large algae. In nurseries they provide artificial food.
Sexual maturity is reached at 12–20 months.
Reviews
Aquarists praise the herbivorous piranha for its calm behavior and eating any food with gusto. When hitting the glass, turning on the light, or sudden movements outside the aquarium, the fish begin to panic.
Price
Size Price (₽) Up to 7 cm 500 Up to 15 cm 1500 Up to 25 cm 5000 Photo gallery
South American freshwater fish, inhabiting most rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of the Amazon lowland. Pacu also made their way to Papua New Guinea, where they were artificially bred to help the local fishing industry. The pacu shares common roots with the piranha, being in the genus Serrasalminae, although they have different habits and preferences. Piranha is a carnivorous species, while Pacu is omnivorous, with a vegetative preference. The difference is obvious in the structure of their teeth. The piranha has razor-sharp teeth, while the pacu's are squarer, straighter, and eerily similar to human teeth.
Pacu use its teeth mainly to crush nuts and fruits, but they also sometimes eat other fish and invertebrates. They commonly eat floating fruits and nuts that fall from trees into the Amazon, and in several cases have even attacked the testicles of male swimmers, confusing them with nuts. They earned a dangerous reputation after they castrated several local fishermen in Papua New Guinea. So when the fish were discovered in several lakes in Denmark, and later in Washington, New Jersey and Illinois, there was a bit of panic.
While pacu are not aggressive carnivores like piranhas, their crushing jaw system can be dangerous. One baby needed surgery after a pacu bit his finger at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. The manager then commented on the incident by saying that "Paku will eat anything, even a child's wiggling fingers."
These fish are legal in the United States and can be purchased at pet stores. The problem is that many aquarium owners don't realize that pacu can grow over a meter long, which is too long for a typical home aquarium. When a pet outgrows their fish tank, owners end up releasing it into nearby lakes. This explains the fact that the fish began to be found in many bodies of water outside of its natural habitat.
Favorite by many lovers aquarium fish Paku is a real exotic. By mistake, this beauty from South America considered one of bloodthirsty fish. And the reason for this is that it belongs to the wide subfamily of Piranha fish, about which real legends are formed. Actually this is not true. Of all known species of this subfamily, only 43% are aggressive predators. The remaining 57% can safely be called semi-predators, who feed mainly plant foods y.
It is precisely for vegetarians that our Paku fish, which first came to our continent more than 200 years ago. It appeared in domestic aquariums at the end of the last century and in a short time managed to become a real favorite of aquarists. The natural habitat of this species is the Amazon River delta and adjacent reservoirs. Due to its large size and rapid growth, the fish is considered a commercial fish.
Description and types of Paku fish
Only a few species of these fish are most widespread among aquarists:
- Red Pacu (Piaractus Brachypomus) or two-toothed colossoma;
- Brown Paku; (Colossoma macropomum).
Red Pacu fish photo, which can be viewed on this page, has a flat body, painted in a characteristic color scheme. Almost its entire surface is covered with silvery scales. Only the pectoral fins and the abdomen with the anal fin have a red tint. The caudal fin of the fish is edged with a dark stripe.
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Inhabited in natural environment(Amazon and Orinoco rivers), Red Pacu fish can reach a length of up to 1 meter. At the same time, the weight of one such adult individual can reach up to 25 kilograms. In conditions aquarium keeping fish grow up to 40-60 cm in length. Which requires an appropriate aquarium volume.
Brown Paku The body shape is not much different from the red one. It is also compressed on the sides and has an impressive height. But its coloring, as you already understood from the name of the species, is completely different. It can be in different variations, from black to silver-gray. At the same time, the abdomen and pectoral fins of adult individuals have a brownish-bronze tint.
In terms of its size, the brown-colored Paku is a large fish. In terms of length and body weight, it is one and a half times greater than its red relative. Fishermen in the Amazon managed to catch individuals that were more than one meter in length. And their weight reached 40 kilograms. However, as practice shows home care, representatives of this species do not grow more than 60 centimeters in an aquarium.
Choosing an aquarium for Paku fish
When planning to purchase one or another type of Paku, it is very important not to miss the size of the fish aquarium. A huge role in determining the volume of a home reservoir for keeping these exotics is played by such criteria as:
- Fast growth of fish;
- Lifestyle.
As we mentioned above, individuals of this species grow very quickly. In just three months, young Paku fish measuring 3-4 centimeters in size grow to 28 centimeter giants. And their growth doesn’t stop there. By the age of one year, they gain weight up to 4 kg and reach and increase in their linear dimensions up to 40 cm. Thus, for comfortable maintenance of one individual, at least 100 liters will be required.
According to your lifestyle Red Paku, however, like Brown, refers to schooling fish. Even if we take 4 representatives of the subfamily, the minimum volume for an aquarium will be 400 liters. But for more comfortable maintenance, you will need a reservoir of 700 liters or more.
When the volume of the aquarium has been selected based on the number of fish, it’s time to clarify the situation with its dimensions. Due to the large size of Pacu fish and their rapid growth, it makes no sense to use short containers. The optimal length from which to base your selection in this case would be an aquarium of 1.2 meters or more. Width also plays a significant role. Fish need room to maneuver freely. Therefore, the width should be at least 60-70 centimeters. The height of the home pond should not be less than 60 cm.
As we mentioned above, to maintain one individual Paku requires at least 1 cubic meter water. It is very important to observe the following parameters:
- Comfortable temperature - 22 o C28 o C;
- Hardness range - 5 o 20 o;
- The acidity of the medium is pH 6-7 units.
But this is not entirely enough. The fish will need to be provided with water, for which an internal and external filter is installed. A prerequisite for comfortable keeping Paku fish in the aquarium is the presence of an aerator that saturates the water with oxygen. And, of course, you need to change the water weekly by 1/3 of the total volume of the aquarium.
It is best to line the bottom of the aquarium with coarse gravel. Having a small one will cause certain difficulties when caring for pets. It is very difficult to clean it from fish waste products.
Caring for Paku fish The video we invite you to watch involves planting a small amount of vegetation. There shouldn’t be a lot of it, as it will be eaten anyway. It is better to replace the main part of the vegetation with artificial plants. This will create a more comfortable atmosphere for large people. And in order for the fish to feel protected, decorative caves and grottoes can be placed in the aquarium, allowing them to hide.
Feeding the Paku fish
Red and Brown Pacu have excellent appetites, so feeding them should be regular and not excessive. It is fashionable to give fish as food plant food. As fans note, piranha-like pets eagerly eat chopped lettuce, dandelions, and cabbage. They also love to eat fruit.
In addition to plant foods, you can also give live food. Here it is appropriate to give fish, tubifex, and earthworms. Paku's teeth allow fish to cope with meat. Some aquarists practice feeding minced meat. However, food of animal origin should not be abused. It is best used as an occasional addition to plant foods. If you feed meat on a regular basis, your fish may develop aggressive behavior.
Breeding in a home aquarium
Paku fish reach sexual maturity at the age of one to two years. However, at home, these fish reproduce with difficulty. It is very difficult to find any useful and specific information on this matter. This is what we managed to find out from experienced aquarists.
Breeding piranha fish of the Paku species must be approached thoroughly. It is very important to adhere to certain criteria:
- Aquarium volume;
- Abundant and varied feeding;
- Superior numbers of males.
When choosing a spawning tank for producers, its volume is very important. It should not be less than 300 liters. After its disinfection, they begin to prepare the producers themselves. To stimulate spawning, you will have to resort to pituitary injections. After which the Paku fish begin to be fed intensively. The Paku's diet should be varied with a predominance of animal proteins.
After the producers are ready to reproduce, males and females are placed in the spawning tank. In this case, the number of the former should exceed the number of females. As a rule, after spawning, parents forget about their offspring. And therefore they can be safely planted in community aquarium. In order for the fry to grow intensively, they must be fed abundantly. Artemia will be used as food for little Pacu. As the juveniles grow, they need to be sorted. If this is not done, the larger ones will eat the smaller ones.
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