Fish pacu: description of varieties, care and reproduction

Many aquarists, in addition to ornamental fish, prefer to keep exotic species of aquatic life. Among the available variety of outlandish inhabitants, it is worth highlighting the pacu fish, which is a close relative of the dangerous piranhas.

Such an aquarium inhabitant is described as a fish with curious eyes, which slowly explores its environment, however, the external resemblance to one of the most dangerous predators sometimes makes you think about its curious and phlegmatic disposition.

The pacu fish is indeed a close relative of the dangerous piranhas, since it belongs to the same family. However, unlike its dangerous relatives, it is herbivorous, therefore it feeds mainly on plant foods, not posing a danger to humans in open water bodies and closed reservoirs. It should be noted that young representatives of this breed can consume gastropods, crustaceans and other small insects that enter the water. The adult is still herbivore.

However, experts regard it as harmful, since it is capable of displacing aboriginal breeds from their natural habitat. In addition to living in natural reservoirs, pacu is actively bred in nurseries around the world. Dolphins and crocodiles are natural enemies of the pacu, however, in aquariums and nurseries, piranha relatives do not face such a danger.

Fish are distinguished by an elliptical body structure, therefore from the sides they resemble a disk in shape. The dorsal and anal fin has a quadrangular structure, which will have a noticeable narrowing towards the tail. The caudal fin is divided into two parts, and the anal fin reaches the tail of the fish. The scales covering the body of the fish will be small, they are characterized by a silvery tint. The eyes of the pacu are expressive, they actively rotate when the aquarium inhabitants swim, the mouth is also notable for its large size.

Such fish are rarely kept alone in aquariums, but the pacu still prefers to keep aloof from the rest of the inhabitants. They form a pair exclusively for the spawning period. Due to the structure of their teeth, fish do a good job of eating even hard-leaved crops. Despite their size, pacu stand out for their fearfulness, react negatively to loud sounds or sudden movements near. Usually, the life expectancy of fish is about 30 years, but this applies to individuals living in their natural environment, in captivity they live up to a maximum of 15 years.

A notable feature of this freshwater fish is the structure of its teeth and jaws. In addition to the fact that they outwardly resemble human ones, the jaws of herbivores are so strong that they do an excellent job of eating nut shells.

Many inexperienced aquarists are frightened off by the similarity of the pacu with piranhas, however, it will be possible to distinguish these representatives of the aquatic fauna by the appearance of their jaws, and for this it is not at all necessary to look directly into the fish's mouth. In a predatory fish, the lower jaw will protrude strikingly forward compared to the upper one, while in the pacu they will be the same.

The most common varieties found in aquariums are:

• Red;
• black pacu.

For the first species, there are several more names - red-bellied pacu, two-toothed colossom. The main body color of the fish will be dark, there is a vertical stripe on the caudal fin. The red color is present on the gills, lower jaw, and also the abdomen of the fish, sometimes there are individuals interspersed with an orange hue. The pectoral and anal fins will always be red. In the wild, fish can reach impressive size and weight. Most often, red pacu is found in bodies of water near the Amazon.

Usually, in their natural environment, fish grow up to one meter, as for the aquarium content, the red pacu will be no more than 60 centimeters in length. Subject to the proper conditions regarding the content, individuals can live for quite a long time in aquariums at home.

Red-bellied pacu is not aggressive, prefers water temperature in the range from +22 to +28 degrees, wherein a suitable acidity will be in the order of 5-20 pH. For fish, it is best to choose artificial reservoirs or reservoirs with shallow soil at the bottom, however, the planted ornamental aquarium plants will very quickly be consumed by the fish, so it is recommended to refrain from using them.

And this species has several names - in addition to the common one, the fish is also called brown pacu. The predominant color of individuals will be gray in its various shades.You can find aquatic inhabitants of this species, in which the front of the abdomen, as well as the lower jaw, will have a pink tint. In the natural environment, the body length of the black pacu exceeds 1 meter, as for decorative and aquarium individuals, then the length of their body usually varies between 60-70 centimeters.

For this species, small fish and snails can be used as food. In a black pacu, the body will be flattened on both sides, the individuals stand out for their endurance, therefore they live in reservoirs and aquariums for quite a long time. The behavior of this variety will be similar to the red pack, therefore even large fish will be very shy.

A maintenance paku is not suitable for every aquarist and owner of an artificial reservoir, since the individuals will require rather capacious tanks. In general, the two types are similar in terms of the specifics of the content, therefore in terms of choosing a suitable inhabitant, it should be based on personal taste preferences regarding the appearance of the fish.

A large exotic individual requires the breeder to provide certain conditions for breeding.

First of all, this concerns the place of permanent residence of the fish. So, a pack with a single content will require a tank with a volume of at least 300 liters. Taking this requirement into account, it is worth choosing an appropriate reservoir for the flock of river inhabitants. In addition to the displacement, an important nuance is the water temperature - it should be in the range of + 22-27 degrees, therefore The aquarist should take care of the availability of a quality heater.

It is very important for pacu that the aquatic environment is clean and saturated with oxygen, therefore, a powerful and good filter with an aerator will need to be installed in the aquarium.... About a third of the total volume of liquid in the fish tank is subject to weekly replacement. Fish will also need lighting; for this purpose, it is recommended to purchase fluorescent lamps.

Gravel will be suitable as a soil for the pacu, but in any case it is worth abandoning aquarium plants, since the artificial environment is regarded by fish as food. Usually, tanks with such inhabitants are decorated with several stones or driftwood.

The pacu plant-based diet stands out for its diversity. Lettuce leaves, various cereals, as well as vegetables and fruits can be used as food for individuals of this breed.

As live food, fish can be offered bloodworms, various larvae, snails, crustaceans. The introduction of meat into the diet should be approached deliberately, since such food can provoke aggressive behavior in fish. The pacu should have a lot of food, this is due to its large size.

In general, the breed stands out for its strong immunity to various viral and bacterial ailments. Therefore, pacu rarely get sick. However, mistakes regarding care can provoke the development of some ailments. Therefore, the aquarist, when maintaining the pack, will need change the water in the tank weekly, remove the remnants of uneaten food, as well as use powerful filters to purify water, because fish are not famous for their cleanliness.

Puberty occurs at the pacu closer to 2 years, during this period the females will already be able to lay eggs, which the male will fertilize later. The fry develop quite rapidly. However, breeding in closed tanks can be challenging, and injections are often used by hobbyists.

In order for spawning to be successful, the breeder will need to keep individuals in a free and large reservoir, make sure that they have a varied menu, in addition, the number of males in the existing flock should be predominant.

For spawning, fish can be transplanted into a separate spawning grounds, its volume should not be less than 300 liters.

Once the fertilization process is complete, the adult fish will need to be transplanted back into the community aquarium. The fry will need to provide a balanced diet, for this purpose it is recommended to use brine shrimp. As you grow up, you can sort it by separating the larger pacu from the smaller ones.

Among suitable aquatic life, large and calm fish breeds such as catfish or arowana can be chosen as neighbors for the pacu. As a rule, pacu treats most of the aquarium inhabitants favorably, but you should still avoid species that are too small or aggressive to add.

For the content of pacu fish, see below.