I know these fish get huge but I was just wondering what size tank they need. The previous owner of my 150 gallon tank had one and it lived for 6 years. Also I saw these fish called tattooed mollies and they had hearts on them. Are they actually tattooed????
Red Bellied Pacu
- Thread starter vanimal
- Start date
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severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Pacu, speaking in the long term here, are unsuitable for almost any normal hobbyist's tank. They get massive. Keeping one alive for 6 years in a tank that is too small for it, is no great feat. 
Tattooed mollies ARE actually tattooed, yes. It's a process which involves injecting dye into the fish to make a pattern. There are other species that are tattooed, as well. There are also dyed fish- these fish are dipped in a solution to remove their slime coat and then dipped into dye. The dyes fade eventually.
Tattooed mollies ARE actually tattooed, yes. It's a process which involves injecting dye into the fish to make a pattern. There are other species that are tattooed, as well. There are also dyed fish- these fish are dipped in a solution to remove their slime coat and then dipped into dye. The dyes fade eventually.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
Red bellied pacu need at least 250 gallons. I think I am wrong so hopefully someone will correct me. Tattooed mollies are dyed. This ranges from slime coat removal to lasers. Do not support this cruel practice.
Yeah I thought it was cruel too! I also saw Green, Blue, and Pink Blood Parrot Cichlids do you think they were died too? Also I heard of someone on this sight keep an Irridescent Shark in a 75 gallon for about 26 years.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
I really can't believe some store still sell these tank busters. Most people would say it's the fish keeper's fault when the animal ends up being released into a water way. The pet shop is to blame. If the store is going to sell fish they should make sure to tell a customer that certain fish will get to be big and require an upgrade in the near future. They shouldn't assume everyone does their research. As for dyed fish, second worse case of fish abuse after those tiny keyrings with turtles and fish inside. There are many amazing fish so why bother creating these brightly colored fish that would die a sad painful death.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Those parrots were absolutely dyed.
Caveat emptor. The hobbyist can't rely on a store to educate him/her about anything. In this day and age with internet, smartphones, etc., there is simply no excuse for not at least doing a Google search before purchase. You make it sound as though every pet store employee is an unscrupulous money-grubber that just wants to take advantage of an unsuspecting hobbyist. While there is no doubt that this is the case sometimes, there are plenty of pet store employees who simply don't know any better.
Humane euthanasia is ALWAYS preferable IMO to releasing captive animals into the wild. Non-native species, if they manage to survive, can wreak havoc on endemic populations.
I am almost certain that you can, but I do not have any direct experience with SD's so let's wait for someone more knowledgeable on them to chime in.
Absolutely it is their fault if they release a fish into the wild. It is completely irresponsible to do so. Filleting the fish is far better than releasing it. At some point, people DO really need to think for themselves and not expect all necessary info be given to them by a retailer.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
I understand what your saying but the pet store specializes in helping people with their pets. That said, an employee should at least make sure that the person is commited to caring for the monstrous fish.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
Still the owner should have been warned by an employee. Or at least researched the fish while it was still young. When the fish is still small most pet stores would take it back.
I disagree. The research of any animal that is kept by people should be researched prior to purchase IMO.
Yes. A good store, which happens to employ a knowledgeable employee willing to work for minimum wage or close to it, would warn the buyer. Still, the responsibility lies on the buyer in the end. They are the ones with the animals in their care.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
There's always that one person who buys on impulse and researches as soon as they get home.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Right... but who is culpable there? Surely the hobbyist can take some personal responsibility for his or her own actions. In the end, it is the hobbyist's actions that land a tank buster/incompatible species/etc. into the hobbyist's tank. Taking responsibility for one's own actions is simply part of being an adult. I've killed many fish since getting into the hobby and almost every single instance was my own fault.
Dealing with the general public in this regard as a pet store employee.. I can say with all honestly that I always warn people about the sizing requirements and long term care as well as informing them what often happens with fish once they reach maximum size. Sometimes the customer will exclaim and go "not for me then!", but a whole lot of the time it doesn't make one bit of a difference and they want what they want. I wish I could always refuse a sale, but there are so many ways they can get around it anywhere from "Well, the smaller tank is what he'll be in until I get my 500gallon cycled.." to denial that it will actually get so large in the first place.
One such case of this was when a gentleman brought us a rubbermaid bin on wheels with his pacu informing us that we would indeed take back his monster fish because we should be ashamed for selling something that grew so large. The kicker was that I remembered him from several years prior because he was one of the first customers to ever yell in my face when I tried to merely warn against it in the first place. That has stuck with me and I really feel like you can only educate the masses so far. Yes, people impulse shop. Should we? No. In a perfect world we wouldn't give in to temptation. Unfortunately people always will.. and it's certainly not something you can blame on any one person. Smart consumerism as well as wise pet ownership is something to strive for.
I'm sure there are plenty of people in shops across the world who don't bother to warn people, however. But maybe, just maybe, they are tired of arguing. On a positive note, we no longer sell them, thank goodness!
One such case of this was when a gentleman brought us a rubbermaid bin on wheels with his pacu informing us that we would indeed take back his monster fish because we should be ashamed for selling something that grew so large. The kicker was that I remembered him from several years prior because he was one of the first customers to ever yell in my face when I tried to merely warn against it in the first place. That has stuck with me and I really feel like you can only educate the masses so far. Yes, people impulse shop. Should we? No. In a perfect world we wouldn't give in to temptation. Unfortunately people always will.. and it's certainly not something you can blame on any one person. Smart consumerism as well as wise pet ownership is something to strive for.
I'm sure there are plenty of people in shops across the world who don't bother to warn people, however. But maybe, just maybe, they are tired of arguing. On a positive note, we no longer sell them, thank goodness!
FAR too large for home aquaria.
They get larger than any fish pictured here... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ould-come-with-a-legal-disclaimer-118394.html
christine2012
Aquarium Advice FINatic
When I was younger I wanted a pacu. I looked at some, asked the lfs guy about them. He told me his buddy had ONE in a 200 gal tank when one day the pacu started seeing red and started running into the glass as hard as possible. He said after about 3 days of this the pacu had busted through the glass. Just thought it to be interesting.
christine2012
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yes I quickly changed my mind!
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