Rescue Tank

HI Zeez, I've been reading your thread, I'm glad you might have a home for the blood parrot. One down, one to go!

I just wanted to let you know that finding a home for an animal (reptile, fish, bird etc) is very unlikely in a zoo. My parents both work in zoos (my father is a director of one) and people call all the time to dump their outgrown pets. Its not worth it to them, the animals are usually too domesticated and just end up being unsuitable. Just to give you an example, my father told me a story about a zoo in Turkey that just agreed to take a male wolf that had become too difficult to keep as a pet. The zoo's male wolf had just died and they wanted another one to keep their female company. During the first day of introduction, the female wolf stuck her paw through a hole separating her and the domesticated wolf, he bit it off, and she had to be euthanized. Just because they agreed to take a wolf completely unsuited to be around other animals and wolves. Now they are left with no wild wolves, and a weird pet wolf who doesn't act like one. The wealthy people who dumped him were already planning their next exotic adoption, a giant panda. Thankfully, I don't think they will find one, but it just comes to show.

I'm not saying a pacu is quite the same as a wolf, but I think you get my point. Zoos are just as frustrated as you are with people taking bad care of animals. They just can't be the place to dump all of them. It’s a shame because you know they would take good care of the animals. I wish people would think more about an animal's necessities before buying them.

Oh, I agree. I knew what I was getting into when I rescued this Pacu. I knew I would face a lot of walls. However, what I was unprepared for was the amount of the lack of knowledge from the many people I called about Pacus, considering they get calls all the time.

As far as domestication goes, I understand what you're saying. This Pacu, however, I don't believe has had much human interaction at all. He will watch you from a distance but whenever someone even comes close to the tank, he darts to a hiding spot immediately, even at feeding time. I know that with time, he'll come to get used to humans, but right now he's terrified of them.

In the end, the best humane solution may be to euthanize him after I've tried the hardest I can and called zoos, found big fish keepers, locals, etc, as much as I'd hate to do it. I understand now why animal shelters do this.

There are a few big fish keepers in the Charlotte club, so I'm going to see if anyone would like him but considering the recent experiences I've had, I doubt it. I'd love to keep him. When he's not afraid, he's a personable fish. It's very cool to watch him eat, and he's obviously intelligent, like all predators are. I'll be sitting in my chair and turn to look at the tank and he's staring right at me. If I wave my hand, he sees it and reacts accordingly. Unfortunately, I rent a house, so I cannot start building or buy a the size tank that he requires.

In the future, should I ever have the finances to do so, I wouldn't mind having a Monster Fish-sized tank for rescuing Pacus.

 

Can the pacu be placed in an outdoor pond? I understand zoos not taking in strays. Sounds mean, but without knowledge of the fish's history, they could loose the whole stock to a sick fish. Do you have any alligator farms nearby? My LFS uses unwanted fish for alligator food. At least it would be used in the cycle of life vs you ending it's life.

 

this may be a complete shot in the dark.....

but at least here it is not uncommon for business such as restaurants doctors offices etc to have massively large set ups in them. I know there was one not to far from me that had sharks in it (and not the small kind, the tank had to be 15ft long and floor to ceiling) Idk if there is anything like that around you where he might be a good fit for them. But you know at least that they are well taken care of as they are the focal point for the business and likely have hired people to care for them. As no business would want a scummy looking tank for their patrons to look at.

anyway I really hope you find a home for him. You did a really nice thing by rescuing those fish. Best of luck to you!

edit if your willing to ship...
mandalay bay in las vegas has a 1.3 mill gallon set up (not sure if appropriate)
so does the silverton

 

They're tropical fish, so they require temperatures of 79 or above. The Pacu wouldn't survive a winter, much less a fall season.

I doubt there's an alligator farm close by. Those are down south, in Florida, Louisiana, etc.

 

I thought you were in the Carolinas?

 

How about contacting those guys on that Tanked show? They deal with many customers and may know of a place for your pacu.

 

this may be a complete shot in the dark.....

but at least here it is not uncommon for business such as restaurants doctors offices etc to have massively large set ups in them. I know there was one not to far from me that had sharks in it (and not the small kind, the tank had to be 15ft long and floor to ceiling) Idk if there is anything like that around you where he might be a good fit for them. But you know at least that they are well taken care of as they are the focal point for the business and likely have hired people to care for them. As no business would want a scummy looking tank for their patrons to look at.

anyway I really hope you find a home for him. You did a really nice thing by rescuing those fish. Best of luck to you!

edit if your willing to ship...
mandalay bay in las vegas has a 1.3 mill gallon set up (not sure if appropriate)
so does the silverton

Doh, you ninja-posted me! I didn't know you had posted while I was typing up my post.

I hadn't thought about that. I should start looking to see if any businesses have supersized tanks, but that would be more difficult to find than zoos or large fish keepers since large fish keepers tend to be more well-known or are on forums.

I thought you were in the Carolinas?

I am. I haven't heard of any alligators around here. If there are any at all, then they'd be closer to the coast. They're more concentrated closer to the equator than NC is. The NC is in the South, yes, but it's not in the Deep South where the majority of them are.

How about contacting those guys on that Tanked show? They deal with many customers and may know of a place for your pacu.

That is an excellent idea! I'm going to try them after I've tried other venues.


Update: I've been talking with the potential new owner of the BP. Here's our e-mails -

Me: What have you been using to keep the cycle going? Have you had experience keeping fish?

That's a very interesting tank. How wide are those swim-through tunnels? BPs can get up to 9 inches.

Her: It was cycled a couple weeks ago. They are 4 inches but can be blocked off to prevent harm or to have two separate (non compatible) species. I use a solution for cycling tanks called nite out 2 (microbe lift ) treatment. We use it in our saltwater tanks also. I have a 75 gallon that I can transfer him to when he gets bigger. My saltwater tanks are 75 gallon and 90 gallons. I have a 10 gallon set up for my betta and one for my kids goldfish... we like fish.

Me: Okay, that last email convinced me. He's yours.

Here's the photo of the interesting swim-through tank before it was filled with water and sand and cycled, etc -

I would love to have this tank. You could have two completely different aquascapes but have the same fish roaming around.

 

I saw in another thread (I think Ken posted the link) about a company that makes swim-through tunnels that actually go up and over the tank. Pretty cool to see the fish swim "out" of the aquarium, and you can connect an endless amount of tanks together.

 

Indeed, I've seen that before a few times. It's a very neat concept. However, you have to keep the water levels up.

When I went closer to the tank for an examination of the BP, I discovered it had black spots covering him. At first I didn't know what it was, but then I realized that the BP is most likely RECOVERING from ammonia burn. It's possible the filter before the tank was rescued was so overloaded with ammonia that the bacteria couldn't process everything and the BP was being slowly burnt. Now that it's been in clean water for a while, it's finally starting to heal itself.

Also, it's a good thing this BP is being adopted, as it's been starting to go after the Pacu and the Pacu has nowhere to escape.

 

I've never had BPs, but I've read (from Ken too, I think) that they can develop black spots as they age, but they eventually fade. Maybe this is also a possibility? However given their previous living situation your idea is definitely plausible..

 

I hate that some people have the idea of "disposable pets". Whatever happens to these two is bound to be better than what could have been if you did not intervene.

 

FYI I saw several Pacu's at the Tulsa zoo today. They were huge. Have you checked with them or is OK too far to ship?

 

I'll add Tulsa to the list of places to call. I've already called several. Waiting on a couple but got a "No" from two. One was on vacation until June 1st.

That friend who I mentioned earlier was dropping off a tank that "takes many gallons?" Well, I found out what it is when it was put on my front porch. It's a 33 Long gallon. It's the same dimensions as a 20 Long, except this is four feet long. I'm considering moving the filter from the 29 onto this. It's a shorter height, but the Pacu would get 4 more gallons and more room to swim back and forth. Plus the 33g is in a relatively quiet hallway where there isn't as much traffic as the location the 29 is in.

Your thoughts?

 

Sounds like it might be a good idea Zee. The pacu wouldn't be harassed by the BP and maybe he could settle down some.

 

BPs have black spots that appear and disappear at random. They can show up when their moods change.

 

You are definitely a "Good Man" Zeez. I have tremendous respect for you in finding these creatures a good home. I actually thought of you today when I was at the LFS. I saw a man buy a Pacu and asked him if he was willing to adopt another one and pay for overnight shipping. I also asked him how big his tank was and he said he had a 450 gallon fish tank in an office building. I gave him my business card, if he's a "Yes" in adopting another Pacu.

I don't even know if a 450 Gallon is big enough for a Pacu just letting you know. If he's a yes, I will forward his contact information to you and you two can start the conversation.

 

Have you tried to contact tank manufacturers? Maybe they could mention the pacu to customers who buy a suitable size tank.

 

Can someone explain to me why it's legal to sell fish who need such large tanks? Sounds absurd.

 

The fish trade isn't very well regulated. Also, fish are seen more as furniture than living things.

 

Yep, seems fish are widely regarded as lesser than any other animal.

 

The Shedd Aquarium's lines were busy the three separate times I called. I have called a total of 16 Zoos and Aquariums. None are accepting. When I called the Tulsa Zoo and Aquarium, they said that they had gotten three other Pacu calls today before me. The Tanked people were not answering their phone calls, but I've sent them e-mails. This is making me lean toward the lines of euthanasia if I cannot find a home for the Pacu.

I just don't know what to do next. This was done with nothing but good intentions, but as they say, good intentions can and do end badly. I don't want that to happen with this Pacu.

I will keep trying, but I'm beginning to see that this particular Pacu will have the fate of many other Pacus... a short life.

 

Perhaps trying checking craigslist for a stock pond? I saw one that was 5ft long, 3ft wide and 3 ft deep for just 50 bucks the other night! They can be kept indoors or outdoors, too.

You're doing a great, thing, Z, keep it up, you'll get somewhere soon!

 

I wish you luck. Keep fighting the good fight!

 

Akari, your idea gives me another idea. One of those kiddie pools. You know, the $15 dollar ones. I wouldn't really need a heater now that it's warm during the day and stays fairly warm at night. I'd have to get a small pond filter for it. I found a calculator and it says 5 feet by 2 feet deep circular pool comes out at 300 gallons. It's not a permanent solution, but it's a heck lot better than what the Pacu is in right now. I have a tarp to cover the pool to help keep him calm and keep things out.

It would sort out his living situation for at least several months during the summer and give me more time to find him a home while he would have plenty of space and room to grow.

 

Well I'm glad I could provide some inspiration I saw an awesome kiddie pool at Goodwill few weeks ago. 5ft wide, 8 inches deep... Only 5 bucks!! Wish I was allowed to have gotten it, but mom said no

Lots of Goldfish people also buy big tubberware tubs for temp housing. 15 bucks for a 50 gallon tub; what's not to love?? lol

 

What a good man Zeez ;-)

 

Hey, what about a blow up pool down the road?

 

Hey, what about a blow up pool down the road?

That's what I want to make my pond out of; a cheapy above ground pool. You can get a 600 or so gallon one for $50 here at Big Lots. No pump, though, but those are easy to make.

 

You can use a pond filter. I was thinking most small family pools come with filters these days. Sounds like a perfect "aquarium".
Surround the bottom with hay or leaves for insulation.

 

I found this it may not go with your plans but it may be a good idea

It may not be suitable but it may also work
Just trying to help

 

You can use a pond filter. I was thinking most small family pools come with filters these days. Sounds like a perfect "aquarium".
Surround the bottom with hay or leaves for insulation.

Yep, they are! I was going to use an 800+ gallon one with a pump that came with it, supplemented with plants so that I didn't need to worry too much about the filter getting overloaded, but we've decided to make a real pond lol

 

I found this it may not go with your plans but it may be a good idea

It may not be suitable but it may also work
Just trying to help

He says he doesn't take any pacu :/

 

Plus he is in Texas, while Zeez is in North Carolina

 

I have a couple of possible leads for the Pacu, but I'm not going to prematurely say anything yet. The woman who was interested in the BP hasn't responded for a while, so I still have the BP. Hopefully soon she'll respond and come and get him.

In the meantime, I thought you guys would enjoy seeing a Pacu and Blood Parrot feeding. It's a bit lengthy, but how often do you get to see a Pacu eating?

 

omg they are sooooo cute!

and...I see doggy!

 

Ahahaha that BP is sooooo brave. xD You made him out to be all shy but it looks like he's getting spunky.

 

They both are shy. I stood still and made minimal movement so they'd feed. That Pacu kept eying me until he finally went for the peas then the BP was a jerk, naturally. That little guy pushes around the twice his size Pacu.

It seems Pacu are powerful fish, but they're not aggressive at all, judging from this one.

 

Awwww. Hopefully he likes whatever you figure out for him. Sounds like you're considering a lot of options to find what's best.

 

If only I were rich, I'd help you out. You're a good guy zeez hopefully you're rewarded with a good ending and if not don't let it discourage you from trying to do the to right thing in the future.

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk 2

 

Any leads on the fish?