What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The pacus are off!

Hello,
    The monterey bay aquarium didn't take the pacus
mad.gif
sad.gif
. So, my only choice is to sell them to the petstore, for 8 dollars each. They will be put in a large tank, 200 gallons I think. Since I've been feeding them grapes, they have grown alot! The larger pacu is now 4 inches wide! ALL muscle (sp?)! My pleco gets some of the graps, and now he is 2 inches fat, and a foot long!!!
wow.gif
wow.gif
wow.gif
I am moving them in a 23 galon bucket. After I use it to transfer the pacus, I am going to make it a huge mini bog!
biggrin.gif
I am going to miss the pacus though... If I am sad or stressed, I just go to my pacu tank. They make me fell better, no matter what. I'm gonna miss that...
sad.gif
any suggestions on moving the pacus? Thanks,
-Spec73
 
Hi Spec,

Sorry you have to loose your pets. The bucket should be ok to move them in. If they are really big, maybe a separate bucket for each one. Also, large Igloo ice chests make great moving containers as they have lids and pacus jump when caught or spooked. Be sure you have something to cover the bucket the moment you put the pacus in there. Use a BIG net or 2 to catch them as they flop around with real strength. Don't feed them for a day before you move them to clean their insides out. Just use their tank water in the bucket. It should be fine. The only issuses are their jumping and their size, so covers and room is all that is needed. What will you put in the tank now? Sometimes fish stores will give you more in trade than in cash for fish.

Bobby
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (biggun110 @ July 10 2003,07:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hi Spec,

   Sorry you have to loose your pets. The bucket should be ok to move them in. If they are really big, maybe a separate bucket for each one. Also, large Igloo ice chests make great moving containers as they have lids and pacus jump when caught or spooked. Be sure you have something to cover the bucket the moment you put the pacus in there. Use a BIG net or 2 to catch them as they flop around with real strength. Don't feed them for a day before you move them to clean their insides out. Just use their tank water in the bucket. It should be fine. The only issuses are their jumping and their size, so covers and room is all that is needed. What will you put in the tank now? Sometimes fish stores will give you more in trade than in cash for fish.

Bobby[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I like the bucket more, as the igloo containers are night deep enough, nor wide enough, for the pacus. I do have a large clear plastic bin, I think I'll move them in there if it's possible. I'm thinking of trading them in for a fogger/humidifyer, I'll have to ask if they will let me trade
alien.gif
I'm not sure what i'll put in the tank, I might make it a cichlid tank, a reef tank, or just a terrarium for my cps. thanks for your help bobby!
smile.gif
I'll let you know how it goes.
-Spec
P.S.- I like using the pillow case, it was more effective, I could close the top of the case, so they can't flop out. the only nets I saw big enough to catch the pacus had the metal rims, I don't like those, as the fish can get hurt with them. any help with the pleco? last time I moved him he stabbed me real hard! Oh, and how big can they get? Thanks
biggrin.gif
 
Hi Spec,

Funny, I was gonna write and suggest that a pillow case would probably be best if they were really big pacus. I'd use it on the pleco too. You can hold the pleco by putting your hand over his back in front of his dorsal fin and having him between your index finger and thumb. That way he can't stick you (hurts&#33
wink.gif
but he can still thrash about and fall out of your grip! That pleco gets 2-3 feet if it's the basic type. In the wild they can get 4 feet!
Hey, why not make it a killie tank? How big is it?

Bobby
rolleyes.gif
 
its a 125 gallon tank
biggrin.gif

Wow, thats huge! I didn't know plecos got that big!
Just wondering, what does pacu meat taste like? I heard it tasted really good, and it is found in fancy restaraunts. Don't worry, I would never eat my pacus! Even if I did, I would get sick form the chemicals I've added in the water (de-clorinator, etc)
-Spec **)
 
hope your pacus get a newbetter home , and that pleco , man thats huge , the biggest pleco i ever had was 8 inches . i don't think 8 bucks is a good price in exchange for those pacus but if you must then i'd take it if you have no room for him . plecos may look sluggish slow moving fish but they dash very fast so you must be quick witted to catched them
rolleyes.gif
. in exchange for the fish i'd either go for an arowana ( but if you get and arowana then keep the pleco ) or that fogger ( over here they sell em for 90 bucks ) .
 
Hi Spec,

Just wondering, have you ever thought about replacing the pacus with severums or uarus? They both get large and round but would love a 125. There is a new species of severum out there that has a big red band running down its head and through its eye. Gold severums are gorgeous too. If you want a really smart cool tough fish get a dovii cichlid -- they are bad bad bad. He'd take the whole tank and watch you all the time. A bunch of various dwarf cichlids (Apistos, Nanos, Pelviachromis) running all over the bottom and making caves would be cool. There is always discus.

Bobby
 
biggun i remember talking to spect on aol and asked him about the tank he said he got to good of a deal for it and didnt want to work out a deal
sorry
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Jmenprkr @ July 11 2003,08:47)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">biggun i remember talking to spect on aol and asked him about the tank   he said he got to good of a deal for it and didnt want to work out a deal
sorry[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
What does this have to do with what biggun said? He didn't ask for me to sell it to him...
confused.gif

Oh, and that's spec, not spect
tounge.gif
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (biggun110 @ July 11 2003,08:05)]Hi Spec,

   Just wondering, have you ever thought about replacing the pacus with severums or uarus? They both get large and round but would love a 125. There is a new species of severum out there that has a big red band running down its head and through its eye. Gold severums are gorgeous too. If you want a really smart cool tough fish get a dovii cichlid -- they are bad bad bad. He'd take the whole tank and watch you all the time. A bunch of various dwarf cichlids (Apistos, Nanos, Pelviachromis) running all over the bottom and making caves would be cool. There is always discus.

Bobby
Severums? Are they hard to care for?
 
  • #11
Hi Spec,

Severums are very easy to care for, as easy as angels or convicts. They eat everything from flakes to pellets to veggies to meat to worms to insects. They grow fast and are very hardy. If you get good ones the males will get 8 inches and have deep deep green heads with an orange anal fin. The males get long flowing fins. They are fairly calm and not too aggressive either. If you could find 4-8 nice 2-4 inch wild ones and raise them up in your 125 you'd have some fine fish. They would pair off and probably breed so you might have to just keep one pair when they matured. The gold ones are just as easy to keep but look for very pure color if you go gold -- no black smudges on the body and fins.
Uarus get a bit bigger and are just as easy and cool. They will get a beautiful golden color when mature with bright gold eyes and a big black triangle on their sides. Severums have red eyes.
Geophagus (and related genera) species make good tank mates with both of the above -- especially one called heckelii. It gets lots of blue dots on it and all these long streamers off its fins. Jurapari are great too. They dig and spit gravel all day long.
You might also like a leopard Ctenpoma. It's an African gourami like species and is very cool. They get about 6-8 inches and are predators but not really violent.
Anyway, these are all large fish that are fascinating to keep and watch but will live quite happily together in a 125 all their lives.

Bobby
rolleyes.gif
 
  • #12
I just might care for all of those fish! could i put 2 of each species into the tank?
I won't be able to get much store credit, just about 30-40 dollars altogether, for the pacus, the pleco, the danios, glass cat and 2 convict cichlids
sad.gif
 
  • #13
I reccomend that you try to find a different place, because that group is easily worth 100+!!
biggrin.gif
smile.gif
alien.gif
 
  • #14
Hi Spec,

Sure, a tank of the large South American cichlids that are not too aggressive (2-4 severums, 2-4 uarus, 4 Geophagus (and related genera) species, 2 festivums, even a black ghost, an African leopard Ctenopoma, maybe even a Synodontis eupterus catfish (big cool fins&#33
wink.gif
and maybe a school (6-
alien.gif
of madagascar rainbow fish would all do well in a 125. None of the fish get too big. You could start with small ones and let them all grow up together -- except get larger rainbows. All the fish would be easy to feed and any extras or overstock could be easily traded back to the store as all are desirable fish. Of course, just a tank of severums alone is nice.
Good luck. If you ever go into San Francisco see if Fairy Lake Discus is still in business. It is a great fish store.

Bobby
 
  • #15
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (lithopsman @ July 17 2003,08:18)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I reccomend that you try to find a different place, because that group is easily worth 100+!!  
biggrin.gif
 
smile.gif
 
alien.gif
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
large, adult pacus have been sold for 100 dollars each, but people say they shouldn't be over 30 dollars. The reason I'm not getting much for them, is that not many people buy them, and not many people can keep them and maintain them. They eat alot, and I mean ALOT! The owner would end up getting almost nothing for the pacus, as he has to pay for so much food!
wow.gif
 
  • #16
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (lithopsman @ July 17 2003,08:18)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I reccomend that you try to find a different place, because that group is easily worth 100+!!  
biggrin.gif
 
smile.gif
 
alien.gif
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Oh, and I tried to do that, but I have only 1 week before we have to move, that is not enough time to sell the pacus for 100 dollars... odd thing, I'll probably get more for my giant plecot han the pair of pacus!
wow.gif
(i have a female and a male pacu)
 
  • #17
On Saturday I sold the fish. Guess how much money i got for each of the pacus and pleco...







Big Pacu- $5.00 USD
Little Pacu- $5.00 USD
Plecostamous- $5.00 USD
2 Danios and Glasscat- $2.50 USD\
sad.gif


The pacus quickly recovered though! they were swimming around in minutes! a turtle bit onto the big pacus dorsal fin and took a ride across the tank though, and ruined his beautiful fin!
mad.gif
he does it to all of the other fish in there too!
wow.gif
The pacus quickly took over the tank, even the 18 inch gourami was scared of him! And he was the meanie of the tank!
biggrin.gif
The big pacu rammed against the gourami as it was being mean to him
biggrin.gif
Now my pacus are in charge!
alien.gif
 
  • #18
Hi Spec,

Well, sorry you got so little for all your fish. Pet stores sell small Pacus for alot and then only pay a little when they are returned after out growing someone's tank. I kind of wish they wouldn't sell them. My local fish store doesn't for just that reason. People have released them in the bayous here and they have survived so I expect they have even bred.
So, will you be taking your tanks to Oklahoma City to reset up?
My new killies are doing great and fattening up on live food. I friend just emailed me that he sent me some of my old species back to me (I had to thin things out for a bit last year.) He is sending me back some Gnatholebias zonatus adults from eggs I sent him (the eggs take 5-6 months to develop and hatch) and some eggs of a cool African killie called Callopanchax occidentalis. It's a 4 inch blue and gold guy that is gorgeous and a bit rough. I love them.

Bobby
 
Back
Top