Pacu acting strange, what do you think I should do?

[Laura]

For 3 days now, my Pacu has been acting very strange. He swoops to the bottom of the tank sideways, and scrapes himself on the rocks on the bottom of the tank. Then he found that if he keeps doing it the pot of the potted plant is exposed, and he can scrap himself against that. It is like his body is itchy.

So, I covered the plant with more rocks, and he did it again, and the pot is exposed again. Now, he has damage on his top fin because it scrapes against the plant. I know I can move the plant, but that doesn’t explain why he is doing this. (Besides the fact, I have seen him doing it to the top of a rock I have in the tank)

Also, he seems that he is spooked. He will swim real fast from one side to another, and then in a corner of the tank, and will swim up and down real franticly.

Both sides of him are marked now, with scrapes, scales are missing, and he is starting to freak me out.

Has anybody ever seen this sort of behavior? Is there something I should do?

 

[Slacker]

How big is your pacu? They belong in HUGE tanks..

 

[madhippoz]

Check the disease database thing on here. It lists a couple of disease that might cause him to be glancing off the rocks because of itchiness.

 

[Laura]

Originally posted by Slacker
How big is your pacu? They belong in HUGE tanks..

He is about a foot or so. (To me)My tank is huge. I plan on getting rid of him this November, so the Oscar can thrive.

I noticed you have moneywort plant, does it have a flower?

Originally posted by Madhippoz
Check the disease database thing on here. It lists a couple of disease that might cause him to be glancing off the rocks because of itchiness.

I just think I will.

So, I went looking for it and I couldnt find a discussion desease..hmmmm

 

[catfishmike]

eat him there is nothing you can do with a pacu anyways.darn things grow so big and nobody wants one either.the disease database is located in the menu on the left side of the homepage should be right before articles.

 

[RacerFish]

catfishmike: are pacus` tasty? how should you prepare them? hehe

 

[adamj]

what does the pacu's bodily colors look like?

i definitly think its some type of paracite, most likely ich. Even though you cant see it yet. I'd start treating now and do water changes.

 

[catfishmike]

well i honestly couldn't tell you how they taste,i'm a vegetarian.the only reason i said that is because it's soo hard to unload a pacu on to someone who can take good care of them.many public aquaria don't want them because they already have one or ten.but i bet they taste good barbecuqed,drenched in lime juice and served with bbq corn and spanish rice

 

[SoulFish]

hm id ditch him right now, 75gal is way to small for a foot long one, at this point if you scared him theres a chance he could swim right through the glass on teh side of the tank, scratching is usualyl the first symptom of ich, if he has been doing it for a long time theres a few other things it could be like flukes, my africans did this for 2 months, eventually i treated with quickcure for a week and a half and they all stopped, so you may try that, how long has the pacu been doing it?

 

[adamj]

*instert vegatarian joke here*

I'd imagine a pacu would taste very gamey.

 

[Laura]

Originally posted by SoulFish
hm id ditch him right now, 75gal is way to small for a foot long one, at this point if you scared him theres a chance he could swim right through the glass on teh side of the tank, scratching is usualyl the first symptom of ich, if he has been doing it for a long time theres a few other things it could be like flukes, my africans did this for 2 months, eventually i treated with quickcure for a week and a half and they all stopped, so you may try that, how long has the pacu been doing it?

Thanks for your reply, I find it helpful. He had been doing it for a few day (I forget exactly now), but he had stoped, and I noticed spots on Oscar, and the gourami's fins.

I think we got ich, because of white spots on Oscar, and the gouramis. I treated it yesterday, so when I get home from work today, we will see how it looks.


As for getting rid of Pacu, I think it is going to be sooner then later, because we REALLY like Oscar.

 

[redbellypiranha]

Ich

Agree with SoulFish Ich it is get some ich medice and give it a month... usually one dose every two weeks...

 

[depthC]

My dad had a Pacu in like a 30G tank and i dont no if he still has him. I dont talk to my dad to often, so the next time i see him ill ask and how much he wants for it if its empty in his basment ..

- depthC