i think my red bellied pacu is dying...

Question
hi i pay as close attention to my pacu as possible and i noticed that my pacu's
eyes have gotten bigger..i mean pretty big and white and puffy..i noticed this
after putting feeder fish in the tank..he's also swimming less and i find him in a
corner most of the time with his head pivoted downward but he never bottoms
out(a real fighter) i really need help i dont want him to die

Answer
Good evening Colin, thank you for your question.

I can see you are very attached to your pacu. I am sorry to say that he really ought to be returned to your local fish store, Colin, because he will grow to be over 30 inches!

Have a look at this article, if you are skeptical:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacu_(fish)

You can do your best to maintain high water quality in the meantime, but unless you are prepared to purchase a tank that is hundreds of gallons, you will need to prepare to rehome your pacu. I have successfully rehomed fry I couldn't keep after my cichlids spawned, by giving them away for free using my local online classifieds. Public aquariums are generally unwilling to accept pacus and iridescent sharks, mostly because they already have specimens that they have kindly taken in from well-meaning aquarists who simply did not know that their fish would grow so large.

Which is why it is so important to research every specimen, including their adult size, before purchase. Have a look here if you would like to read more about different types of freshwater fish: http://www.fishinthe.net/html/

Go to Fish Guide at the top or side, but have a look around the whole site! Wetwebmedia.com is another suggestion.

For now, the best you can do is to change out lots of water. 30% three times a week would be best, although you don't mention your tank size...even more may be necessary. Always use dechlorinated tap water of the same temperature.

Also, I encourage you not to feed your pacu feeder fish. Introducing fish that were reared in poor conditions (dirty water and grossly overcrowded) is always a risk. If the fish are carrying a parasite or disease, your pacu is extremely likely to get whatever they were carrying.

Instead, feed him a variety of frozen and pellet foods:

"Sinking food pellets such as HBH's Super Cichlid Sinkers or Spirulina Pellets are very good foods to keep a healthy Pacu. They need a balanced diet so giving them veggies such as romaine lettuce, peas, carrots, celery, zucchini and fruit such as nectarines, apples, grapes are recommended in their diet. Algae wafers are a favorite also."

They are mostly a vegetarian fish! Even though they look like piranhas, green foods are what they thrive on. Give him an occasional frozen bloodworm cube or frozen brine shrimp enhanced with vitamins and/or spirulina for meaty foods, but please, do not feed feeder fish! This fish eats what you feed him because he has to, but he would prefer not to...

Good luck, Colin, sorry to break the news to you about your gentle giant. Feel free to write again anytime.

Nicole