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pacu tank issues

  • Thread starter prizmbatch
  • Start date
I have a pacu thats pretty good size in a 30 gal. tank all by himself. i know that i can't plant it b/c he'll eat them, so my question is how do i keep the water from turning green? i do a 20% water change every week and it still looks nasty! i have a bio filter that i haven't touched and i have a powerhead for circulation b/c he chewed holes through the tubing for any type of bubbler.
 
I don't know if you've heard this before: but a Pacu will get WAY TOO LARGE, we're talking up to a meter in length, for all but the largest aquariums (like over 500 gallons!).  And they grow very fast.  So unless you've got a 500+ gallon tank or pond waiting for him, then I think your biggest problem now is finding someone to take the fish, I would recommend returning it ASAP.  See: Tropical Resources and Age of Aquariums (1) and Age of Aquariums (2)
 
Man, no offense but I really, really hate it when peoply do this kind of thing. It's like keeping a lion in your apartment. My uncle caught a red bellied pacu one in our lake that someone threw away.

Your water is green because you've got an elephant swimming in a septic tank. Using the bio-filter (what is it? a LSB?) is no-brainer dude.

Find it a new home.
 
no it's inside for the winter it has a 250 gal pond sitting in my backyard that is it's normal home. and am working on one that doubles in size for next spring when he can go back outside! he isn't very big yet so i have at least till next spring to build a bigger enclosure. i have had big fish and have done my research so i am fully aware of the size my fish can and will become. i adopted him from a breeder as a baby, don't talk to me like i'm an idiot! i know what i got myself into and have acquired all i need to keep a happy healthy pacu and by the way i'm a girl not a dude!
 
Have you vaccumed the gravel?

-Ben
 
yeah i do that when i do my weekly water change
 
OOH ok then that's great! I'm glad you'r responsible. I'd atleast get it a 55 gallon for winter. I guess heating the pond in winter would drain the bank account.

Please accept my appologies! It was wrong for me to assume, but it is a common thing for people to get small fish that grow big.

you could get a uv sterilizer, but that's just a bandaid. there is an excess of nutrients, perhaps even light, that is causing the algea. Put some algea killer in it (assuming no plants, and i'd do a half dose anyway) and do a black out for three days. on my tank (granted it's only a nano) i do a 50% weekly change.
 
yeah a heater for a pond that would keep the water at tropical temps is very expensive i live in tx and people don't normally need them so i would have to special order one. aldea killer won't hurt my fish? i don't have plants because he would either eat them or dig them up. no offense taken, i've been doing this a while and have learned the hard way to do my research before perchasing an animal. i want all my animals to be happy and healthy.
 
My guess is that you have way too much nutrients in that tank, and the algae simply have capitalized on this.

You've mentioned that you do a 20% water change weekly. I would definitely ramp that up, to more like 3-50% water changes weekly...but more importantly:

1. You never mentioned what type of filtration you have on that tank. What kind do you have? Please describe the exact filter (like Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel for example).

2. Did you at all cycle this tank before adding the pacu?

3. What kind of lighting does the tank receive? Does it get any sunlight?

4. If you could tell me any readings like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, that would be incredibly helpful.

I'm not an expert, but I have a bit of experience with planted tanks, and because of that I have a bit of experience with algae (they go hand in hand sometimes). These hopefully should be relatively simple questions to answer.
 
  • #10
1. it's a penguin 200b good for up to 50 gal tanks, plus i have a large powerhead to circulate
2.yes i did, i had a pleco and some ghost shrimp in it for a little over 2 months
3.it's a florescent bulb and yeah it's across the room from a window in my dining room so it gets a little sunlight
4.ammonia is normal, nitrates are normal, and nitrites are a little high but thats b/c i just did my water change and he just ate some peas
 
  • #11
What do you mean by "normal readings"? Where any of these readings above 0? The best time to measure would be before you do any feedings.

So far, I would recommend keeping the curtian closed in the kitchen to keep the sunlight out. And the fluorescent light, perhaps you could just leave it off until the problem goes away. Green water needs light to live.
 
  • #12
I think he means they are zero.

You'r nitrates are a little high because you just did a water change? what? do you have nitrates in your source of water?
 
  • #13
i said nitrites and yes b/c i have to use tap water with neutralizer. i am working on getting a ro filter now. nitrates are at 20 which is safe, nitrites are 0, hardness is 75 or soft, alkalinity is 80 or moderate, ph is neutral between 6.8 and 7.2
and once again i'm a SHE NOT A HE!
 
  • #14
Lol, sorry.
 
  • #15
My water is bad also, it has chloramine in it...you have to add the water conditioner which will break the chloramine bond and neutralize chlorine...then you end up with ammonia, which many products will also neutralize. I've never had problems with nitrite in my tap water though, but I know some products allow you to treat for this. You really don't need a RO filter IMO...I bought one for my fish and now I just end up using it for my CPs only!

So, it seems that your tank is cycled. I totally hate stressing my fish, or any fish, by cycling the tank with fish though. You should try cycling with cocktail shrimp, it works really well.

Your nitrates levels, though safe for the fish, are high enough to provide a nutrient source for the algae.

One other thing I remembered, I've read that you can use a diatom filter...this website talks about that and other ways to remove green algae (sorry I didn't mention it earlier): Steve Hampton's website: green algae issues This guy definitely has much more experience with this problem, I would consider giving his "5-day method" a shot.

I hope I've helped.
 
  • #16
thanks for your help. i want a ro filter for both my plants and fish. i found one at a local pet store for about $100 so considering it's a decent price i might go ahead and buy it. where do you get cocktail shrimp? my pacu might decide to have them for dinner though
smile_m_32.gif
 
  • #17
The store.
 
  • #18
Well, you put the cocktail shrimp in the tank when you first set it up...and before you add the fish. You add about 1 cocktail shrimp per 50 gallons. In this method of fishless cycling, the shrimp will slowly decay, releasing a pretty decent amount of ammonia in the tank at a constant rate. Then you just keep monitoring the nitrogen cycle: you should see ammonia levels spike, then nitrite levels rise and ammonia levels fall to 0ppm, then nitrite levels fall to 0 ppm and nitrate levels rise. After your nitrate levels reach around 20ppm or so, you can change all the water and add a reasonable number of fish.
 
  • #19
I've always wondered something when it comes to fishless cycling...

If you have a new tank, new equipment, etc. where does the bacteria come from?
 
  • #20
From the air. When you see a dead animal, it's the same bacteria that do the job of decomposition. This method is almost always goes slower, as you are basically inoculating the culture with a small amount of bacteria from the air. It usually goes faster when you throw in some filter media from an established aquarium, here you are inoculating with a much larger amount of bacteria.

That's my understanding at least.
 
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