‘Mad old’ Paxo will be missed by many

Paxo the fish, who has been kept at Rosedale Aquatics in Whitnash for almost 30 years, passed away on Sunday afternoon after falling ill last Friday.

The black Pacu arrived at the shop in the early 1980s, shortly after his previous owners decided to hand him over to be on display for customers.

He was known to generations of Leamington and Whitnash people.

Sharon Griffiths, the shop’s current owner, said: “Paxo was four inches long when we got him, so he must have been born in 1982. He was 30 years old, he weighed 30 pounds and he was 30 inches long.

“We had lots of people who used to come and see him when they were children and they would bring their own children to see him.

“I was a customer at the shop long before I bought the business, so I was very fond of him.”

Ms Griffiths thinks that Paxo simply died of old age. She said: “It’s a sad loss. He will be missed by lots of people.”

Rosedale Aquatics has posted a message on its Facebook page that reads: “It is with a great deal of sadness that today we said goodbye to our dear old friend Paxo. At the ripe old age of 30 he has passed peacefully away. We will never forget this mad old fish and his passion for bananas and grapes.

“Paxo has bought a great deal of pleasure to generations of visitors and friends in his life at Rosedale. Thank you for so many happy years, from us all at Rosedale.”

The black Pacu is native to South America. Because the fishes grow so large, Paxo was the only one kept at Rosedale Aquatics.