Swish: A cautionary tale

This is Swish A(or else Swish B, C or D). Swish is a pacu and is about 10 inches long. He/she and the rest started life as adorable 1/2 inch circles in a pet store aquarium. Nothing on the tag said that they could easily reach 3 feet in length. Because of this they are frequently discarded or dumped. They keep growing and growing. The myth is that a fish will only grow to fit the size of the aquarium is just a myth.

These guys are interesting fish. They are the vegetarian form of the pirhana. They come up to have their heads scratched. They stay on a very limited diet to keep them from outgrowing the 125 gallon tank they live in. I don't have space for a bigger tank nor do I have the money to purchase one. They have responded by eating plastic plants, pumps, lights and most recently some stoneware tank ornaments I made for their tank. I feel bad for them, but outgrowing the tank would be disastrous. Already when they get excited they hurtle against the sides of the tank and the hood. They can make the whole tank shake and that is quite a feet considering how much 125 gallons of water weighs.

Yet pacu are still for sale.