All fish / Serrasalmidae

Red-bellied pacu

Piaractus brachypomus

Also known as red bellied pacu, red pacu, pirapitinga, pirapatinga, vegetarian piranha, red belly pacu, pacu, ปลาจาระเม็ดน้ำจืด, ikan bawal air tawar, レッドコロソマ, bawal air tawar, 红银板

A deep-bodied, silvery relative of the piranhas whose juveniles show a bright red chest and belly, which is why they look so appealing in shops. It is kept by owners of very large tanks or public aquaria for its hardiness, tameness and long life.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

45 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

4000 litres

Keep as

Single specimen or a small group in a very large system

Diet

Omnivore: fruit, nuts, vegetables, pellets, prawns and insects

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon and Orinoco river basins, South America

Breeding

In the wild it spawns during seasonal floods and in fish farms it is bred using hormone injections. Breeding in a home aquarium is essentially unknown.

Good to know

Small juveniles often sold to beginners grow to well over 40 cm, and up to about 85 cm in the wild, outgrowing almost any home tank; they also have strong, human-like teeth and must never be released, as they are invasive in some regions. Colossoma bidens is an old synonym, and the fish is often confused with the larger black pacu, Colossoma macropomum.