Black Pacu

Black Pacu or Tambaki, scientific name Colossoma macropomum, belongs to the Serrasalmidae family. A close relative of the well-known Tetrs and Neons, but that’s where the similarities end. The fish has an impressive size, in the wild reaches a length of more than a meter. At a young age, it is very similar to piranhas, but not as bloodthirsty. If it is possible to purchase a large aquarium, then keeping the fish will not be a problem, so Paku can be recommended to aquarists with any level of experience.

Habitat

Black Pacu was described by the researcher Cuvier in 1816, while studying the fauna of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America, is currently listed in almost all major rivers of the tropical zone of the New World, from the mid-90s came to Asia, where it is grown as food source.

Fish prefer a solitary lifestyle in the dark waters of flooded forests, they feed on everything that can fit in their mouth – fruits, crops, insects, plant debris, and can also eat small fish.

Description

The first thing that catches your eye is its huge size, in home aquariums the fish often exceeds 70 cm, and taking into account the high body compressed from the sides, Paku looks completely impressive. Not to be confused with the closest relative of the Red-bellied Pacu, which has a reddish belly and a more modest size up to 50 cm. The color varies from gray to black, the fins are dark.

Food

In an aquarium, fish willingly eat almost everything: dry industrial food (large granules, tablets), vegetable pieces, meat, including frozen. An approximate composition of a serving may look like this – sliced ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbpieces of an apple, zucchini or other vegetables and fruits mixed with meat (shrimp, shellfish).

Maintenance and care

The main difficulty in keeping Tambaki 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. Productive filters and water replacement by 30 – 50% every two weeks will ensure its high quality. The rest of the equipment is standard – heater, aerator, lighting fixtures.

The fish prefers the middle layers of water, so in the design, provide large spaces for swimming. From the decor – large plants, driftwood, artificial grottoes, caches. Despite its size, Paku is shy, vibration and harsh sounds can cause panic, which causes the fish to start beating against the walls of the aquarium.

Social behavior

Prefers proud loneliness, but will not refuse neighborhood with representatives of other species if they meet the following conditions: peaceful, not aggressive, not territorial, large enough not to accidentally become food.

Breeding / breeding

The Black Pacu, due to its size, is not bred at home; this requires special nurseries in natural backwaters. However, attempts were made, though more for research purposes, the first successful captive breeding experiments date back to 1992, years in the research center of Natal (Brazil), with the help of hormones, healthy offspring of these giants were obtained.

Diseases

Like any large fish, a frequent problem is the lack of space and sufficient food, which adversely affects the well-being of the Pacu, otherwise it is very hardy. Read more about symptoms and treatments in the Aquarium Fish Diseases section.