Piranha...stereotype...(?)

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

Does anyone keep red bellied piranhas anymore? It seems like the popularity of this fish has dropped dramatically as i have havent seen any posts about them since ive been a member at AC.

A lot of inexperienced poeple buy them for quick thrills and put them in tiny tanks because they know nothing about them. I'm looking for an experienced opinion on these fish. Are they worth keeping?

[ChilDawg]

I'm not a huge fan as they need to be kept in shoals and aren't as vicious as advertised unless underfed...usually, anyway. I would pm Innes here or check out one of two other forums for info from experienced P-keepers:

www.predatoryfish.net/ibforums
www.piranhafury.com (Warning, there are some graphic images at this one.)

[SnakeIce]

they are large, skittish tetras with teeth and a name that is bigger than they are. Piranhas are not aggressive like cichlids are and are sorta like wolves in that they pick off the weak and dieing and strengthen the population of their prey animals.

part of their reputation comes from the populations that get trapped in a small pool(realative to the river)during the dry season. as the pool receads they pick off all the prey fish that are in the pool with them and even weaker members of their on kind and after a time of starvation any possibility of food, say a cow entering the water is quickly stripped giving rise to the ferocious mental image we have of the piranha.

most of the time they are quite uninteresting given the steriotype they have. tending to be more like a population of wolves on the edges of human inhabitation. rarely do you see them and on occasion do you get a incident that gets attention but for the most part people that live with them around know how to deal with their own safety and such

[ChilDawg]

They have evolved from fin-nippers and would rather take small chunks out of their prey than eat it whole like an O. There are some aggressive P species, but SnakeIce is generally right, especially when referring to the Natts (Serrasalmus nattereri, the P most often found, bought, and kept).

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

how many could one put in a 75g and have them thrive?

[ChilDawg]

Probably three at the most, but, again, I would consult those other sites first.

[NickH]

You cannot keep just three red-bellies together for too long. They will start picking on each other and one will ultimately get eaten. If you are going to do it, get at least 5 or 6. Get them small (ie quarter size) and all at once and grow them out together. You should be able to keep them in that tank until the reach around 8 inches or so. Decorate the tank with lots of plants (live banana plants & java fern with some driftwood and sand or light, small-grain gravel looks nice). Once they get too large for the tank, you could upgrade to a 6 footer (probably in a couple of years). Or, you could trade them in and probably get a nice credit if they are healthy.

I've had red-bellies in the past and they are only interesting when they are feeding. Otherwise, they just swim in position and breathe. The feeding gets pretty expensive as they get larger, too.

Highly overrated. It's a phase....

[sumoschro]

if youre big on the looks you might just go with pacu....

[NickH]

Originally posted by sumoschro
if youre big on the looks you might just go with pacu....

That is NOT a good suggestion, unless you have a 300 gallon tank!

A good 'pseudo pirahna' is the silver dollar.

[SnakeIce]

well if you want similar behavior in a lot smaller package try serpae tetras...though with a larger tank( I had 6 in a 20 gal) they might not be as nippy

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

i am in it for the look (piranhas go perfect with the theme of the room my 75 is in. But i also want an interesting fish. I definately want a predatory fish, but not onme that's only only interesting when it's fed. SnakeIce, do you mean similar behavior of a pacu or a silver dollar, or of a piranha?

[SnakeIce]

the piranha... the serpaes that I had were the worst fin nippers and three of them out of all the fish I had survived the power outage and 100 degree weather while I was gone over a year ago by eating on the other fish that died.

I will say that when they were young I got some feeder danios and they ate most of them... if you don't feed them something with high protien like blood worms or somthing like that they will be more likely to constantly pick on each other and any tank mates they have

I found that the best way to describe them was as mini piranhas, the shy skittish wolf like fish I described

but they are tetras as are piranhas. there are species of piranhas that are more into killing for the heck of it.. I don't remember which ones but they were not shaped like the redbelly.. they were smaller and more diamond shaped with the head and tail being the longer points... also more solitary as well

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

Serrasalmus niger, or black piranha, perhaps what you're thinking of. Different shape than the rb, and kills more out of anger than out of hunger, much like a betta. I dont know if they are very solitary though. Very tough to get also.

[NickH]

There are a lot of "exotic" Pirahna species available out there. Piraya, Wimple, Gold, Black, etc. Usually very expensive. You see these in small "holding cell" cubes in the LFS. In the wild, they will school together and with other Pirahna species.

You might want to look at the Pink-tailed Chalceus or the Spotted Cachorro. Both are like smaller, schooling barracuda that would probably be more unique and intersting to look at than red-bellies...

[loachaholic]

I guess I don't understand what you're going for in that 75? Are you looking for a predatory fish or a specific look?

If you want aggression, there are many cichlids that are WAY more aggressive than the piranha and will actually attack the glass to get at you. Even a betta is more aggressive than a well fed piranha.

If you're interested in a particular look, there is probably a much more appropriate fish out there that will do better in that tank.

BTW, a Pacu is NOT an appropriate fish for a 75 under any circumstances. Even the smaller ones get too big.

[F.sparverius]

Get an Oscar. They'll eat anything smaller than them ,are insanely active when small and can be fed a wide variety of foods. Ie: Chichlid pellets,grapes,ham,smaller fish.....

I got rid of mine because it killed my Red Parrot Chichlid though.

[matty150]

a single oscar would be great for a 75. besides eating anything and everything they get to know you and respond well to people. oscars are very outgoing and love to eat, ive had mine for about 8 months and he's huge!!!!

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

I already have a 7" oscar in my current 75g. I was thinking of getting another 75 for this room.

[orgetorix]

Recently, on a visit to the Vancouver aquarium, I saw their display of red belly piranhas. They were housed in a rather large tank with Black skirt tetras as the only other tankmates. I found this very interesting and really changed my view on this fish as being the killer it has been portrayed to be. Obviously, if they are well-cared for, they can co-exist with species native to their habitat with no conflict whatsoever.

[t_h_e_s_a_c_k]

I talked to one of the people at the vancouver aquarium about the rbps they have. They never feed them live fish, they are super healthy too. They take crazy good care of their fish.