Can i keep malawi cichlids and one red bellied pacu together in a 55gallon tank?

You shouldn't even have ONE red bellied pacu alone in a 55 gallon tank. The red bellied pacu needs a 200 gallon tank to thrive! Trust me, I thought i could get away with having one, and it outgrew my tank in a matter of months. Just don't do it!

Not even close. An Adult Pacu is about the size of a 55gal tank, not the size can live in the tank, the size of the actual tank!!! And they aren't compatible with Malawi cichlids anyway. You will be able to get some of the smaller cichlids for that size tank. Ian

No,Paco's get very big but I think your malawi cichlids may pick it to death before it has a chance to grow.

in a 55 gallon you should be fine and get away with it because i have a 55 gallon myself but with south american cichlids witch where far worse than malawis becuse i kept a few with them and my south american cichlids tore them apart but i have my pacu living with them which is fine defends itself real good. but the pacu will need a couple of companions becouse they area schooloing fish here are some more bassic info on red belied pacu's: The Red Pacu will accept flake foods in the home aquarium but will need to be given pellets as they grow in size. It's probably best to keep them in tanks without live plants because they may eat your live plants. Use caution when selecting tank mates for this fish. Even though they are herbivores, they may go after smaller fish in their tank. They can potentially be kept with arowanas and plecos. The Red Bellied Pacu one of those fish that is best left to the advanced freshwater aquarist with a very large tank. data: Scientific Name : Piaractus brachypomum Common Names : Red Pacu Red Pacu Care Level : Moderate - Difficult (because of adult size) and they need an excellent aquarium filter. Size : 12 - 24 inches (30 - 61 cm) pH : 6.5 - 7.5 Temperature : 75°F - 80°F (24°C - 27°C) Lifespan : 5 - 15 years or longer. Origin / Habitat : South America, Amazon River Temperament / Behavior : Generally peaceful and will take care of themselves against more aggressive tank mates. They may also eat smaller fish species if kept in the same tank. Breeding / Mating / Reproduction : Egglayer, not common in home aquariums. Tank Size : 250 gallon (946 liters) minimum but preferrably much larger tanks and ponds. This fish is best left in the wild or in public aquarium displays. Compatible Tank Mates : Because of their huge adult size there are very few common aquarium species recommended. You would need to keep them with large fish making the aquarium size requirements difficult to attain in the home. One that may potentially be kept with them is the Common Pleco but you would need at minimum a 350 gallon tank to provide both of them with adequate water volume as adults. Arowanas are sometimes kept in the same tank as well (must be a huge tank). Sometimes sold mistakenly as the Red Belly Piranha. Fish Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease Diet / Fish Food : An herbivore - provide a varied diet with pellet food and frozen food. Tank Region : Mostly middle Gender : Difficult to determine. May only be possible to determine gender differences in mature adults. Males may have more red on the belly. thanks and good luck it sould definatly work out fine i have tried it myself.

Pffffft. Good one. Pacus get 2-3 feet long and need schools of 5 or more to be kept properly. It would take multiple hundreds, probably going into the thousands of gallons to keep them correctly. Even if you meant to type 550 gallon tank, a pacu could swallow your average Malawi cichlid whole. Stick with small cichlids only. A mbuna setup would be great.