Post #716281 by aquarj on Wed, May 7, 2014 2:59 PM

My experience with pacus is limited to looking at Rufus through the glass, back when you could.

Yes, apparently pacus are freshwater, and apparently koi are too. And apparently, oddly, pacu have been caught in both fresh water and salt water. And apparently they have a cringe-worthy nickname. I guess the speculation in those other cases was also that they were formerly in a tank, like Rufus, and in fact tend to be released because they outgrow their tanks. Some strange stories, but I don't have any reason to discount any of them, other than (what I already said about) realizing those could be outliers that don't translate to Rufus, who is pretty senior.

Anyway, I guess that's why it seemed to me that proof that Rufus is living might not change anything anyway, for those people with the most active need for info. Like these news stories where the pacu is assumed to have a short life expectancy (if it hadn't been caught by a fisherman anyway), it sounds like the concern isn't just about whether Rufus is alive right now. Maybe the only thing that would placate the concerns would be more like a webcam, showing Rufus at any given time?

-Randy