Make it Nice Nice
At last! It's time to do a
little decorating! So I decorated the inside of the pond with 11 Pacu
[vegetarian Piranha] to keep the 100 little mosquito eaters I put in company
and to eat our compost. In less than I year I will be eating them
There is a complicated breeding process I have to succeed at first [more on that
later/below]...
Click on any photo to see a larger version
Lake Tambaqui
Shot by Mitchell Silver from a hang glider
Pictures updated 8/3/06
The Torri is up!
Pond Featurette
Pond/Garden
Phase 1
Phase 2
Home
Pacu "Tambaqui"
colossoma macropomum
Pacu are a species that
originate in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They can be found in Central and
South America and other areas. They are now more wide spread in tropic areas
because of dispersion by humans. They are, for all
practical purposes, vegetarian Piranhas. Tambaqui live in the turbid waterways
and tributaries of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. The species generally
stays in deeper waters, rarely being encountered in shallow zones. Juveniles are
omnivorous, eating fruits, seeds, and zooplankton. The immature tambaqui can
filter phytoplankton through special gills containing long, fine gillrakers.
Adults are exclusively fruigivorous. Adult tambaqui feed primarily on fruits and
seeds when the rivers flood. The fishes focus on a few select species of plants
during the wet season, most of which are abundant and widely dispersed.
Common foods include the seeds of the rubber tree and the palm tree
fruit. The tambaqui apparently waits under the source plant to catch falling
fruits and seeds at the water surface.
USES:
Tambaqui is an extremely important food fish for people along the Amazon. In
1979 the Brazilian quota exceeded 3500 tonnes. The seasonal nature of the catch
creates a long period in which demand for this fish is not met. The fish itself
is said to have a "delightful, fruity taste" putting it in demand across South
America. Fortunately, the fish's vegetarianism and quick growth lend itself to
fish farming, which may well prove extremely productive in the near future.
CULTURE:
The genus Colossoma, and in particular the tambaqui, has been
recognized as an excellent candidate for aquaculture development. Research on
the culture of tambaqui has been conducted in several countries, including
Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela, with promising results.
Preliminary pond production trials with tambaqui have been very encouraging,
with extrapolated production yields ranging from 6 to 9 t/ha/year being
reported. The potential of cage culture of tambaqui within Latin America may
hold particular promise in view of the existence of extensive water bodies
within the interior, provided there is development of an effective technology.
Feed is one of the main constraints to the development of a sound culture
technology, particularly in an intensive system like cage culture, where it will
have a major effect on growth and may represent 50% or more of the production
costs.
Pacu teeth
"So fruitful a fish" is the
description used in the Amazon state in Brazil to describe the unique
Tambaqui, [Pacu].
Tambaqui
enjoys a diet of fruit and nuts [though in my pond it will be eating more
than that -by far] that enhances the flavor of the flesh. Traditionally in
Amazonian cuisine the fish is served as a "Rib portion" and eaten off the
bone. The strong bone structure of the fish enables the product to be
presented and consumed in the style of a typical meat rib, indeed a first
for a fish product.
Ideally suited to the "Foodservice" markets,
Ribs are presented as a three or four rib portion, they offer an versatile
product to further add value, by means of Marinades ,sauces or dressings
Here is a 20-30 pounder, can you imagine
a 100 pounder?!?
.jpg)
Pacu links of interest:
Pacu skulls for sale:
http://www.boneclones.com/BC-120.htm
METABOLIC RATE OF EGGS AND LARVAE
A Pacu Tale:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_pacu2.php "They
would eat zucchini, lettuce and grapes from my hand, and they LOVE peas. When I
would feed them worm cubes they would let me "pet" them, rubbing their dorsal
fin."
Suicide: I had 2 Pacu leap out of the pond in search of who knows what....
