help me with my pacus before they die!!

i have 3 6 inch pacus and they have been very skittish and busting their lips on the glass and rocks, i'll work on a picture. Recently two of the fish have turn dark gray in a day or two red eyes. are they sick? someone lemme know what they think i have had them since they were the size of nickels so i don't want anything to happen to them.

 

Sounds like typical over-crowded, stressed out young Pacus.

 

Well, unless you can upgrade to a 900 - 1000 gallon tank, I suggest returning them. Pacus get at least 24" long and almost as tall and really aren't suitable to be kept in most privately owned aquariums.

How big is your current tank? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte?

That's an 8" red devil in the lower right corner.


-Chelle

 

if i leave them wil they die or will they just stop growing? or if i take out a few fish will it fix my problem or will it just be a temporary fix?

 

Holy cats!!! Those pacus are enormous and THICK! :shock:

 

?

so are my fish gonna die? or just stop growing?

 

How big is your tank?

When fish "grow to the size of their tank", they're actually being stunted which causes weakened immune systems, demormities, and premature death.

Also, pacu are actually social fish so they prefer to be in groups. One pacu by itself would be very stressed and unhappy. So you'd be better off finding new homes for all 3 rather than keeping just one or trying to keep all of them in a tank that's too small.

-Chelle

 

i have a 55 gallon tank, if i let them "grow to the tank" in a group of three what are they chances(in guestimation because you seem to know a lot more about fish than i do) they will just stop growing and live? cus if i can id like to keep them, plus i have no idea what to do with them save for giving them to the petstore by my house but they dont have very large tanks there either

 

They're not going to live very long in a 55 gallon. They would still likely grow to about 14" or so (assuming they lived that long). And three 14" (even three 8" fish for that matter) is WAY too much bioload for a 55 gallon. You would not be able to do enough water changes to keep the water safe and they would likely die from ammonia and/or nitrIte poisoning or bacterial or fungal infections that come along when poor water quality weakens a fish's immune system.

So in short, you really can't keep them healthy/alive in a 55 gallon tank. You could try calling local zoos & aquariums.

-Chelle

 

k i traded to a far away pet store

i traded to a far away pet store. at least they are in a 125 gallon for now

 

You did the right thing. I commend you for being a responsible fish owner.

-Chelle

 

thanks, i got store credit enough to get 2 electric blue haps, they are pretty sweet looking and they can't possibly outgrow a 55 gallon, im prob gonna just have a cichlid tank now

 

Re: k i traded to a far away pet store

:y_the_best: :y_the_best: :y_the_best: :y_the_best:

that was a very wise thing to do.

 

A 55 is a great size for african cichlids. You could probably fit 10 - 12 in there depending on the species.

My only suggestions are:
1) Don't mix mbuna with haps (they have completely dietary needs)
2) Research fish before you buy them (there are some species of haps that get around 10").

-Chelle