Colossoma macropomum

Common Names:

Blackfin Pacu
Pacu
Red Bellied Pacu
Tambaqui

Synonyms:

Colossoma tambaqui
Myletes macropomus
Piaractus macropomus

Family:

Characidae

Category:

Characins

Distribution:

America - South; Brazil, South America

Main Ecosystem:

Flooding; Flooding

Temperament:

Peaceful; Peaceful, will not usually harm small fish.

Diet:

Ominvore; Ominvore

Care:

Feed with zucchini and vegetable based flakes or pellets. Plants are usually eaten though java fern is not harmed. The Red Bellied Pacu is susceptible to high nitrate levels so frequent small water changes are essential.

pH:

5 - 8

Temperature:

22°C - 28°C

72°F - 82°F

Hardness:

10 dH - 20 dH

Potential Size:

Male: 110cm (43.3")
Female: 110cm (43.3")

Water Region:

Middle; Middle

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

Males have a much redder stomach area. The males dorsal fin has a sharper point than the female.

Breeding:

Difficult. Peat filtration is recommended, though more information is hard to find.

Variants:

Comments:

The size of this fish places it well and truly in the "tank buster" category - and it's a shoaling fish too, which means it should be kept in groups. Adults are also easily spooked, and have a habit of swimming panic-stricken into the glass, which is a recipe for disaster with a 40 inch fish! Consequently, this is another species that should be left in the wild, or to large public aquaria, as any aquarium required to house the fish adequately will be nothing short of colossal - it's no exaggeration to specify 10,000 gallons as a baseline setup for long-term maintenance of this species! Growth is rapid, and the species also eats plants, which limits furnishing options severely.

Main Colours:

Silver, Red

Markings:

Spots Small

Mouth:

Normal

Tail:

Concave

Search:

Image Credit:

Submitted By:

Adam

Contributors:

Calilasseia, zachf92

History:

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