Pacu Fish in aquarium, as a menu or a target fish

According to wikipedia, Pacu is a common name used to refer to several species of South American freshwater fish that are related to the piranha, which are also kept as pets in aquaria. They are popularly thought of as herbivorous. Their teeth, which may look similar to human teeth, are used to cut through vegetation and crush seeds that fall into the water. Pacu and piranha have similar teeth, although the difference is jaw alignments; piranha have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbite, whereas pacu have squarer, straighter teeth in a less severe underbite, or a slight overbite. Additionally, full-grown pacu are much larger than piranha, reaching up to 60 pounds in weight, in the wild.

There are some Pacu fish species in the world and the known species are:

• Colossoma brachypomum - Red-bellyed Pacu, Common Pacu or Red Pacu
• Colossoma macropomum - Tambaqui, Black Pacu, Black-finned Pacu, or Gamitana
• Colossoma oculus
• Colossoma mitrei = Piaractus mesopotamicus - Black Pacu, Caranha Pacu or Pantanal Pacu
• Colossoma orbignyanum
• Acnodon normani - Sheep pacu
• Acnodon oligacanthus
• Ossubtus xinguensi - Parrot pacu

Pacu are relatively new in the tropical fish market. Their quick growth and large size create difficulties for unknowing owners.
One of the famous Pacu is The Red Belly Pacu. This fish are not suitable aquarium fish for most aquarist due to their size and the fact that they grow very fast when given the proper care. Red Bellied Pacu is an appreciated food fish which led the Brazilian government to set up a breeding program for the species to replenish the wild population. The project was successful and this has led to Red Belly Pacu becoming the absolutely most common Pacu in the aquarium trade and to Red Belly Pacu being breed for food all around the world. This project also increased the amount of available Red Belly Pacu information and the amount of information about the breeding of the species. Breeding this species demands large ponds or possible very large aquariums and will therefore not be detailed in this Red belly Pacu info sheet.
Red Belly Pacu fish accepts most food sources and are very easy to feed. Juvenile Red Belly Pacu does well on a diet of flake food but large specimens require pellets or live food to do well. Their diet should also contain vegetables like salad and broccoli. They do well on a diet of pellets and vegetables so live food isn’t necessary unless you want to try and breed red bellied Pacu.
Pacu fish became an economic fish several years ago. Farmers in Asia kept this fish in a pond. Pacu is an easy breeding fish and people start to like it as a menu. As a pan fish, Pacu became more famous, not only for food but also as a target fish for many anglers.