Piranha

Discussion in 'Freshwater Fish' started by Reakwonthachef, Jun 16, 2011.

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  1. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    Your fish is a Red Belly 100%. Pygocentrus Nattereri. They are illegal in a few states, unless much has changed in the last few years since I stopped breeding them. I haven't kept up on it. Traded in the last of my big Red's for some of the marine fish I have now.

    Piranhas cannot overwinter in most of the U.S. They are skittish fish, and do not swarm, or attack like in the movies. I had tanks full of large piranhas and never worried about being bitten. My Queen Trigger, on the other had, is a much more aggressive fish than a piranha.

    If you want a swarming effect, you need to have a large group of small piranhas. The big ones eat a large amount of food every few day, then basically just sit around waiting to be fed in a few days.

    If you want a more aggressive piranha, you would be better of with some Cariba or old Spilo's, or a single Sanchezi, Rhom or Manueli.

    Here's a video of mine that for some reason has over 70,000 views. It was a short clip to show an importer out east how many babies were in the next hatch.



    My last tank of piranhas that now houses triggers and angels. There were a bunch of Cariba's, a few Red Bellies, and a Sanchezi that you can see on the right.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2011
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  3. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    Actually, Pacu's are a big reason why piranhas get a bad rap. They get big fast, and then the owners find that they can't get rid of them, so they release them into lakes and streams. Most of the "lookey here, I caught me a piranha" stories are actually Pacu's.

    Piranhas could never be an invasive species in all but the warmest areas of the U.S. It it gets too cold for them to survive even the mildest winters. There are many more invasive species to worry about besides piranhas, but people tend to freak out when they hear the word "piranha".
     
  4. Reakwonthachef

    Reakwonthachef Feather Duster

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    Big ups for that one homie. I live on the lake and canada is 30 mins across in a cigarette boat. No way a piranha can survive here. I didn't think the LFS would lie that bad lol, although I wouldn't put it past them. I've tried feeding mine feeder mice, the piranha gets scared and the mouse just swims around until it escapes. I feed lake smelt now and he eats a 4" smelt in literally 3 seconds. I want that effect x 10 like ripping of flesh and debris everywhere in the tank. It would be ok if it was only once every few days. So since you bread them how many adults could I comfortably fit in a 150 gal?
     
  5. Reakwonthachef

    Reakwonthachef Feather Duster

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    Also I like the red belly because the color is off the hook. The pics don't even do it justice, he is blood red in person and has a mouth full of 2mm teeth. He is 2 years old can I expect him to get much bigger?
     
  6. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    Depends on water quality and how much you feed him. The more food, the better the filtration needs to be. He could possibly double in length. Pygocentrus Cariba look similar to Red Bellies, but are larger and more aggressive.
     
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  7. Reakwonthachef

    Reakwonthachef Feather Duster

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    So what do u think of adults in a 150 gal? 3 or 5; filtration system I have is impressive at least. I just want room to swim for the fish. I also have large plants that will eat a lot of waste.
     
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  9. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    In my experience, a larger number is better to spread out the aggression. I'd say more like ten, but they have to be WELL fed. I used plants along with a freshwater drip system to keep nitrates at zero. Used the waste water for the garden, and didn't need to do water changes. That was 13 adults in a 125.
     
  10. dumbderk

    dumbderk Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Just thought I would put my input on the subject of buy and releases, Michigan sells em and we actually had an ice fisher catch one out of the ice believe it or not. Someone had released one that they did not want for whatever reason and it had been living near spring or a place where hot water was being pumped out. I dont think that fisherman though he would pull out that one!
     
  11. ReefPlayground

    ReefPlayground 3reef Sponsor

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    I duno guys, looks like a piranha to me. The jaw on a pacu is a bit different. piranha have a much meaner looking under bite than a pacu and from the pics it looks like a piranha.

    State regulations govern the sales of piranhas, so its different from state to state. Generally speaking, they are legal in northern states as if they are released into the wild rivers and lakes, they will freeze over in winter. But in places like Cali/Florida, they can be a hazard to the local ecosystems as they can thrive in those environments.
     
  12. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    Pacu the vegetarian piranha. ;D



    Your fish looks like a piranha to me tho. They are legal in Penn.

    You will need a really big tank for a school of piranha. I guess you could have around 5 big ones in a 150, depending on the filtration.