Who lives where? Who lives how? What story do these fish have? We are happy to answer these and other questions in our species presentation.
Description
The Black Pacu (Colossoma macropomum), also known as millstone collector or Tambaqui in Portuguese, in English " Cachama ", " Red bellied pacu " or " Tambaqui ", in Spanish " Cachama ", " Cachama negra " or " Gamitana " is the largest tetra with a maximum length of 1.08 m and a maximum weight of 30 kg.
The Black Pacu is grown in ponds in South America as an economically important edible fish.
Black Pacus are not aggressive, but due to their strong lower jaw they can cause serious injuries if handled improperly.
It is reported in some aquariums that large specimens have damaged the aquarium glass due to their strength.
The outer shape of the Black Pacu is very similar to the Black Piranha and there is therefore a risk of confusion. Due to its reddish belly pattern, it is also incorrectly identified as the red piranha.
Way of Life/Habitat
Black pacus prefer a water temperature of over 20 ° C (ideally 26-28 ° C) and sometimes move below 5 meters water depth. They endure a low oxygen content, little mineral water with lots of suspended matter and are also very disease-resistant.
It lives in the stream areas of the Amazon and Orinoco. Black pacus have their natural distribution area from Panama to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to southern Brazil.
Due to its great adaptability, exposed specimens were able to form small local populations in some waters of Hawaii, Florida and Texas.
Fact sheet
Scientific Name:
Colossoma macropomum
Size:
108 cm maximum
Weight:
30 kg maximum
Age:
Up to 20 years
Habitat:
From Panama to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to southern Brazil
