| Red bellied pacu | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Subfamily: | Serrasalminae |
| Genus: | Colossoma |
| Species: | C. bidens |
| Binomial name | |
| Colossoma bidens (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) |
|
The red bellied pacu, Colossoma bidens, is a close relative of the piranha, but it lacks sharp teeth and is usually not aggressive. The red-bellied pacu, however, have squarer, straighter teeth more like those of humans, and they primarily use them to cut through vegetation growing in the water. Despite its similar appearance to piranhas, the Pacu is not suited to eat meat very well, as its natural diet of nuts suggests. This fish grows very fast: it can grow as much as one foot in the first year, reaching a length of 30 inches (75 cm) at maturity. Though they are usually smaller in the aquarium.
The red bellied pacu needs a 200 gallon tank to thrive. They grow very fast with proper care. The aquarium should be kept within the 78–82 °F (26–28 °C) temperature range and should be well filtered. They will eat any plants in the fish tank. They need pellets and vegetable matter to thrive. Live foods are necessary for breeding.
The red-bellied pacu's diet consists mainly of insects, fruits and nuts. Their large choppers are perfect for cracking open rubber tree nuts and crushing seeds. However, the pacu started feeding on other fish in 1999, when their usual food sources became scarce. The locals in Papua New Guinea even blame these river monsters for destroying the tilapia fish population. The pacu have been known to attack humans, too. In 2001, two fishermen in two separate incidents reportedly bled to death after their genitals had been bitten off by pacu fish.