Sheep Pacu

About

The Sheep Pacu (Acnodon normani) is a small member of the pacu family native to the Amazon, Xingu, and Tocantins river basins in Brazil. In the trade it sometimes turns up under the name tiger pacu, a nod to the vertical bars that run along its body and help distinguish it from its close relative Acnodon oligacanthus, which lacks that patterning entirely. It's a reasonably compact and robust fish, fast-moving in the water column, and at under eight inches it sits on the smaller end of the pacu spectrum. The care level is approachable for newer keepers, though there's an important behavioral catch: this species has a documented tendency to nip scales from larger tankmates, making a traditional community setup a poor choice. Interestingly, it seems less inclined to bother much smaller fish, so tankmate selection takes some thought. Groups can work if the tank is generously sized. As an omnivore it isn't picky at the dinner table. Breeding has not been documented in captivity. If you're buying one, note that a closely related and nearly identical species, Acnodon setnai, exists, but given its restricted natural range any specimen in the aquarium trade is almost certainly A. normani.